The New England Patriots need to make some major changes to their offense this offseason if they want to be taken seriously in 2024.
Of course, the main area the Patriots need to fix is the quarterback position, but even when they do that, the quarterback will need guys to throw to.
New England’s receiving corps is not exactly impressive, so the Pats will almost certainly be in the market for wide receivers in the coming months.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department thinks the Patriots should target Los Angeles Chargers wide out Mike Williams to shore up their aerial attack.
Williams has had an interesting career trajectory, to say the least.
The 29-year-old played in just three games before tearing his ACL this season, but prior to that, he logged a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns and was one of the best deep threats in football.
Williams, who played his collegiate football at Clemson, was selected by the Chargers with the seventh overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He didn’t really begin to carve out a role until his sophomore season, when he caught 43 passes for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns. Then, the following year, Williams broke out, hauling in 49 receptions for 1,001 yards and a couple of scores. He averaged a league-high 20.1 yards per catch that season.
After taking a step back in 2020, Williams proceeded to enjoy the best year of his career to date in 2021, snaring 76 balls for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns. He was solid again in 2022, finishing with 63 grabs for 895 yards while reaching the end zone four times.
Is Williams a bona fide No. 1 receiver? No, but there is no question he would represent a better option than what the Patriots currently have, and with the Chargers dealing with a miserable salary cap situation, they very well may try to trade him this offseason.
Mike Williams is slated to make $17 million in base salary next season, which is the final year of his deal.
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