Mike Williams signs 3-year, $60 million deal with Chargers to avoid franchise tag per report

The Los Angeles Chargers have come to terms with WR Mike Williams on a new deal that will keep him with the team through at least the next three seasons. Adam Schefter reports that Williams will receive a three-year, $60 million contract with $40 million guaranteed. This means that Williams will avoid the franchise tag.

Williams amassed 1,146 receiving yards last season from 129 targets, scoring nine touchdowns in the process. He averaged 71.63 yards per game, but his best performance came in October when he caught 8-of-16 for 165 yards and two touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns.

The Chargers entered the offseason plenty of projected cap space (over $55 million), so the move to secure Williams as one of Herbert's favorite (and most reliable) targets made sense from the jump. If the two hadn’t come to terms on a deal, the team intended to place the franchise tag on their former first-round wideout, which would have had Williams earning just over $19 million.