The Pittsburgh Steelers created one pretty big need for themselves this offseason.
When they traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, they left themselves with George Pickens as the only proven receiver on the roster.
They’ve since signed Van Jefferson to a one-year deal, but he’s not going to be their answer to replace Johnson.
To find that answer, it looks like the Steelers could look to a veteran receiver that was recently released.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers are set to meet with former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams this week.
A Strong WR2 for the Chargers
Expectations were high for Williams as he entered the NFL. A pair of 1000-yard seasons convinced the Chargers to make him the seventh overall pick in 2017.
While he hasn’t turned into the star he was expected to be, he has still been a solid piece for the Chargers’ passing game over the past seven seasons.
During his time with the Chargers, Williams has had at least 750 yards in four seasons and topped 1000 twice.
This past season, he was playing some of the best football of his career before an injury brought his year to an end.
He had already racked up 19 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown before tearing his ACL in Week 3.
Unfortunately, the Chargers’ cap situation made it difficult for them to keep him around this offseason.
With the team entering the offseason well over the cap and some huge contracts on their books, the team had some big decisions to make. Those decisions included Williams’ three-year, $60 million contract.
They ended up choosing to let Williams go in a move that saved them $20 million in cap space.
Now that he has hit the open market, he’s a receiver that is getting plenty of attention from teams around the league.
The Steelers’ Competition for Williams
The Steelers aren’t the only team with interest in the former Chargers receiver.
Schefter also reported that the Jets and Panthers have meetings set with Williams for this week.
The Jets thought they got their WR2 last offseason when they signed Allen Lazard to a 4-year, $44 million contract.
That move didn’t work out very well in 2023 and now they’re back to looking or a receiver who can pair with Garrett Wilson to give Aaron Rodgers the weapons he needs for a Super Bowl run.
The Panthers have already made their first big move at receiver with the trade for Johnson. Now they could look to add another strong receiving option after Bryce Young had little to work with in a disappointing rookie season.
Schefter also mention the Chargers as potentially being interested in bringing Williams back after they traded Keenan Allen, leaving themselves very thin at receiver.
There is also another team that has entered the mix as Tristan Kuhn reported that the Raiders have scheduled a visit with Williams.
The Raiders are a bit of an odd fit with Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers already on the roster, but could be looking to do everything they can to fix an offense that really struggled in 2023.
Even with all of these teams in the mix, the Steelers could still make a strong case to land Williams.
They just opened up more than $4 million in extra cap space by restructuring Donte Jackson’s contract.
They’ll have plenty of available targets that can go Williams’ way with Johnson no longer on the team.
The Steelers can also offer Williams better QB play than the Raiders and Panthers now that they have Russell Wilson.
There are limited options available on the receiver market right now, so there will be plenty of competition for any strong players at the position, but the Steelers should be doing whatever they can to make sure Wilson has the players around him that he needs to succeed in Pittsburgh.
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Steelers Set to Meet With $60 Million Wide Receiver