Report: Carolina Panthers to host free agent receiver Mike Williams for a visit next week

The Carolina Panthers might not be done retooling the receiving corps days after trading for Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson, as free agent wide receiver Mike Williams is set to visit the franchise next week, according to the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye.

Williams was released by the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this week. He’s also coming off a season-ending ACL injury that he suffered early in the 2023 season.

However, adding a big downfield target who can win contested catches could be a clean complement for Johnson’s skillset.

The potential addition of Williams, along with Johnson, would also mean the Panthers enter the 2024 season with a much stronger stable of pass catchers for second-year quarterback Bryce Young. The Panthers spent the No. 1 overall pick on Young in the 2023 NFL Draft and he languished with subpar offensive line play and a dearth of reliable options at receiver and tight end beyond Adam Thielen.

Williams has been a productive receiver when healthy, but staying on the field has been his struggle. In seven seasons with the Chargers, he played 16 games just twice.

The Chargers selected Williams out of Clemson with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

The Panthers added Johnson via trade with the Steelers

Panthers made a move to bring in a little pass catching help for Young in 2024, trading for Johnson, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Pittsburgh got cornerback Donte Jackson in return.

The teams also swapped a pair of picks for the 2024 NFL Draft. Carolina gave up pick No. 178 and Pittsburgh handed over pick No. 240, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Johnson is owed a $3 million roster bonus, which the Panthers will apparently pay.

Johnson had 51 receptions for 717 yards and five touchdowns in 2023. He immediately becomes one of the most effective pass catchers on a Panthers roster that was bereft of pass catching depth during Young’s rookie season.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline comes the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags. The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match, that round’s pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return. An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.