If Patriots Interested In Mike Williams, They’ll Reportedly Have Competition

The New England Patriots are still in the market for an upper-echelon wide receiver after they lost out on their pursuit of Calvin Ridley, who reportedly signed with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday evening.

The cupboard is pretty bare when it comes to top receivers on the open market, but it did receive a slight re-stocking with the Los Angeles Chargers releasing veteran wideout Mike Williams as a cap casualty.

But the Patriots won't have a free lane toward possibly signing Williams. Like Ridley, New England will face competition if they want to obtain his services with two other teams reportedly in the mix for Williams.

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones didn't rule out Williams returning to the Chargers as Los Angeles has a "desire to bring him back." Jones also noted that Williams would be a good fit for a certain NFC North team.

"One landing spot that could make sense is Chicago," CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones posted on the X platform. "The Bears have the money, and there's familiarity there with former Chargers WR coach Chris Beatty now leading that position in Chicago."

Williams, who has two 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his career under his belt, certainly would bolster New England's wide receiver corps, but the Patriots might not want to invest heavily in the oft-injured wideout.

Williams, 29, played only three games last season due to a torn ACL. He also missed four games during the 2022 campaign due to an ankle injury and also sat out the Chargers' playoff game that season because of a back ailment.

The Patriots have a gaping hole at the receiver spot in their offense, but apparently will focus more on finding a playmaker at that position through the draft, per CBS Sports' Josina Anderson.

If the Patriots follow that path, it would take them out of contending for Williams before a bidding war even happens.