The Chargers have reportedly shown interest in trading for Jets wide receiver Mike Williams, and Shawne Merriman, one of the team’s all-time best players, believes they should make the move to reunite with him.
“He’s that big-play guy you can count on,” Merriman said in an interview with Sports Casting’s Kyle Odegard. “And then you’ve got Ladd (McConkey) and (Joshua) Palmer that can make things happen underneath.”
Los Angeles cut ties with Williams this past offseason to clear up salary cap space. But bringing him back wouldn’t cost them much, as he is playing on a one-year contract with a $1.3 million base salary.
Early in the season, it looked like Williams would be a viable option for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In the first four games, he caught ten passes for 145 yards. Since then, Williams has only amassed two receptions for 21 yards.
Merriman said that Williams’ lack of production with New York can be attributed to him still working his way back from the knee injury he suffered last season in Week 3.
“I think also that Mike Williams coming off an ACL is just getting healthy,” Merriman said. “I try to tell people all the time, just because you’re on the field doesn’t mean you’re 100 percent. Your body has to adjust to playing again. You’ve been off for a year, so it takes a little bit of time. So I think it’s right for the Chargers to bring him back and get him on the field.”
A reunion between Williams and the Chargers would make sense. Los Angeles doesn’t have someone to threaten the deep parts of the field. Even with D.J. Chark Jr. coming back, Williams and Justin Herbert had a good connection in that area of the field during their time together.
Across seven seasons with L.A., Williams posted 309 receptions for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch.