Free agent wide receiver Mike Williams will have plenty of visits with suitors this week.
Williams has scheduled meetings with the Jets, Steelers and Panthers, according to multiple reports.
The Jets are up first on Monday night, and it’s possible they could blow him away with an offer to try to get him to sign without making any more visits.
But more likely, Williams will hear what other teams have to say. That will include the Steelers and Panthers, and it may also include the Chargers, who cut Williams last week. The Chargers did that to clear $20 million in salary cap space, but that doesn’t preclude them bringing Williams back at a lower price.
An important question for every team hosting Williams will be how far along he is in rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered in Week Three last season. Teams will want to be sure he’s on pace to be ready to go for this season before signing him.
If he is healthy, the 29-year-old Williams can be a solid addition to any offense. He’s a two-time 1,000-yard receiver who averages 15.6 yards per catch over his career.
The Panthers and wide receiver Michael Gallup are set to spend some time together.
Gallup was released by the Cowboys on Friday and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he is scheduled to visit the Panthers next week. It’s the first word of a visit for Gallup since he was let go in Dallas.
The Panthers traded for Diontae Johnson this week and they are also slated for a meeting with former Charger Mike Williams as they continue to look for pieces to put around quarterback Bryce Young in Young’s second season.
Gallup had 34 catches for 418 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys last season. He has 266 catches for 3,744 yards and 21 touchdowns for his career.
The Panthers have created a bit more cap space to use this offseason.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that they did that by adjusting the contract of linebacker Shaq Thompson. The team has reduced his base pay to $3.1 million, which includes $1.7 million in guaranteed money.
With that change in place, the Panthers have $3 million more in cap room at their disposal.
Thompson broke his fibula in the second week of the 2023 season and missed the rest of the year. The Panthers and Thompson will be hoping for a return to health and a return to the kind of production that he’s provided on defense over the rest of his decade in the NFL.
The Panthers will host free agent receiver Mike Williams next week, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer reports.
The Chargers released Williams earlier this week to save $20 million on their salary cap.
The team made Williams a first-round pick in 2017, and he served as the No. 2 receiver opposite Keenan Allen. The Chargers traded Allen to the Bears this week as they rebuild at the position.
Williams, 29, had 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2022 and led the league in yards per catch with 20.4 in 2019.
He is working his way back from a torn ACL in Week 3 last season.
In seven seasons with the Chargers, Williams caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The Panthers are signing free agent safety Jordan Fuller to a one-year deal, Joe Person of TheAthletic.com reports.
Fuller, 26, spent his first four seasons with the Rams after they made him a sixth-round pick.
In 2023, Fuller played all 17 games and totaled 94 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and eight pass breakups.
It was a bounce-back season for Fuller after playing only three games in 2022 because of a hamstring injury.
In his career, Fuller has totaled 279 tackles, seven interceptions, 17 pass breakups and four forced fumbles.
He is ranked 59th on PFT’s top 100 free agents list.
