The Chargers solved their salary-cap issues by releasing veteran wide receiver Mike Williams, they announced Wednesday, a difficult but necessary move that enabled the team to beat the NFL-mandated deadline to get under the record-setting cap of $255.4 million for next season.
Williams, fellow wide receiver Keenan Allen and edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack each have cap hits of $32 million or more for next season. By releasing Williams, it enabled the Chargers to become cap compliant by the league’s 1 p.m. (PDT) deadline Wednesday,
The NFL’s 2024 season officially began Wednesday afternoon.
The move trims $20 million from the Chargers’ salary cap for the upcoming season and comes after they released linebacker Eric Kendricks on March 5, gaining an additional $6.5 million in cap relief. Kendricks, a former UCLA standout, was set to sign with the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
In addition, Mack agreed to restructure his contract in order to remain with the Chargers for next season, according to a report from ESPN. Mack, 33, set a career high with 17 sacks this past season and topped 100 for his career. Allen and Bosa also will remain with the Chargers for the 2024 season.
The Chargers could re-sign Williams in the days to come, but it was reported by the NFL Network that he would prefer to test free agency instead. Williams spent the past seven seasons with the Chargers, who drafted him in the first round (seventh overall) in 2017 after a stellar career at Clemson.
Williams, 29, played only three games this past season, suffering a torn ACL during a victory in Week 3 over the Minnesota Vikings. He was expected to be sound enough to play again by the start of the 2024 season, but that was an initial estimate and there had been no recent updates on his condition.
He caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns in 88 games over seven seasons with the Chargers, including 19 receptions for 249 yards and one touchdown in three games in the…
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