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Chargers get first-round pick Mike Williams signed

By Brad Berreman

Apr 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers first round pick Mike Williams poses for a photo during a press conference at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers first round pick Mike Williams poses for a photo during a press conference at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Perhaps with a lesson learned from a year ago, the Chargers have signed 2017 first-round pick Mike Williams.

With a change in the NFL rookie salary structure, agreed on as part of the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, holdouts by first-round picks are far less common. The Chargers dealt with it last year, though, as third overall pick Joey Bosa and his agent haggled over offset language and guaranteed money via a signing bonus until late August. Bosa wound up winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, with 10.5 sacks in 12 games, but the Chargers surely didn’t want a repeat holdout with their top-10 pick this year.

The Chargers added to their offensive arsenal by taking Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams No.7 overall. He is represented by the same agency as Bosa, CAA, as first noted by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. But this time around, contract negotiations went far smoother.

According to multiple reports, Williams has agreed to a four-year, $19.75 million deal with the Chargers. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reported all of that $19.75 million is guaranteed, and as is standard for first-round picks, there’s a fifth-year option in the deal.

Williams is in a position to make an immediate impact for the Chargers, with tight end Antonio Gats aging and wide receiver Keenan Allen working his way back from a torn ACL. Getting more practice time to build rapport with quarterback Philip Rivers will only benefit Williams in that regard.

NFL holdouts often come down to a player’s desire to be present for unpleasant things like OTAs and training camp practices. Agents work on behalf of their clients, and if a deal is desired it generally gets done quickly.

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Bosa clearly had no desire to be with the team before he basically had to be in 2016, while Williams sees an opportunity and wants to start making the most of it. Not to say either approach is right or wrong, but the Chargers definitely have to be glad to avoid any holdout drama this summer.

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