Chargers' Mike Williams Reportedly Retiring After 8 NFL Seasons at Age 30

Mike Williams is reportedly hanging up the cleats.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that the Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver informed the AFC West team he plays on retiring from the NFL. Williams is 30 years old and played in the NFL for eight seasons.

This comes after it was revealed the Chargers placed Williams on the physically unable to perform list before the start of training camp.

"Just working through something small and could be out there any day," general manager Joe Hortiz told reporters when speaking about Williams and safety Elijah Molden. "They're both close. They could be any day. You guys could come out one day and they're not here, next day they'll be out there practicing. They can come off any time."

Alas, Williams will not be out there practicing ahead of the 2025 campaign and is calling it a career.

The Chargers selected Williams with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, and it didn't take him long to establish himself as a key piece of the offense. He hauled in 10 touchdown catches in his second season and then posted 1,001 receiving yards on a league-best 20.4 yards per catch in his third year.

Williams also impressed during the 2021 season with 76 catches for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns, although he was limited to just three games in what proved to be his final year with the Chargers in 2023 because of a torn ACL.

He played for the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers last season but posted just 298 receiving yards across 18 different games. The Clemson product ended up playing 18 games because the Jets hadn't had their bye week when they traded him to the Steelers, who had already had their bye week.

Los Angeles ended up bringing him back on a one-year deal this offseason.

The hope was surely that he could return to his form from before the ACL injury with the team he played with for his first seven seasons, but that didn't come to fruition. Instead, he will retire with 330 catches for 5,104 yards and 32 touchdowns in his career.