WR Mike Williams, who the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired ahead of the Week 9 trade deadline, is returning to the Los Angeles Chargers. Per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, Williams is headed back to where he began his career, signing a one-year, $6 million deal.
While Williams had a game-winning touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders to lead the Steelers to a Week 10 win, his overall impact wasn’t very high for a Steelers team that needed all the help it could get down the stretch offensively.
Williams’ 31-yard eventual game-winning grab against the Commanders came on just one of nine snaps, and there was hope that Williams could help continue Pittsburgh’s downfield passing success. But he didn’t get on the field consistently enough, and finished with just nine catches for 132 yards in nine games.
His most notable contribution was becoming just the second player in modern history to appear in 18 regular season games in one year, a quirk of being traded before the New York Jets’ bye week but after the Steelers.
While he’s likely past his prime, finishing 2024 healthy and amassing just 21 receptions for 298 yards and two scores between the Steelers and the Jets, Williams showed flashes of being one of the best receivers in football during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers. Injuries prevented the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft from ever reaching that ceiling though, and now at 30 years old (he’ll be 31 in October), Williams is looking to keep his career alive.
It was unlikely that Williams returned to Pittsburgh given his relatively tepid tenure with the team, and after the Steelers traded for WR DK Metcalf, who offers the same athletic profile as Williams, his fate with the Steelers was essentially sealed. Given that he struggled to get on the field with Pittsburgh’s weak receiver room in 2023, it was always hard to see the team paying to bring him back for a reserve role.
Depending on the details of the contract, Mike Williams could count towards the Steelers’ compensatory formula. Pittsburgh could receive several comp picks for 2026 though their own additions, including ILB Malik Harrison and CB Brandin Echols, could cancel some out. Future moves and 2026 playing time will also impact projections.
The Steelers will likely still look to add to their receiver depth with a potential depth signing or draft pick, but Williams didn’t fit the team’s plans, and now he’ll get another opportunity in Los Angeles.
For his career, Williams has 330 receptions for 5,104 yards and 32 touchdowns in 106 games.
