Mike Williams' contract to change wide receiver market

Mike Williams is now a paid man.

The Los Angeles Chargers locked up their star wide receiver before he hit the open market in free agency, signing him to a new three-year, $60 million deal with $40 million guaranteed on Tuesday.

To make it even sweeter for Williams, $28 million of his salary will be delivered in the first year of the deal.

The Chargers selected Williams with the seventh pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and in five seasons, the receiver has recorded 227 receptions, 3,662 yards and 26 touchdowns. He is coming off a career year in 2021 where he had career-highs in receptions (76) and yards (1,146).

However, Williams' new deal might not be just a win for Williams, but other wide receivers who are due to get paid next offseason when their rookie deals are up, as outlined by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

"The fact that Williams hit the $20 million mark is important. Of course, Julio Jones is up there with $22 million per year. DeAndre Hopkins way up there at $27 million per year. But the next guys that could get extensions — Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf — all those guys could end up in the same ballpark [as Williams].

"You get a strong, short-term deal like that for Mike Williams, that is a very good sign for the rest of the receivers in the market."

Metcalf, Brown and Samuel are set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2023, and if Williams' contract is any indicator, the trio is set up to reap the benefits of a new market reset for wide receivers.

Each of them have been named to the Pro Bowl and played in at least one playoff game, something Williams has yet to achieve in his career. Samuel (1,405 yards) and Metcalf (1,303 yards) have higher single-season yardage totals than Williams has achieved thus far, while Brown has the same number of 1,000-yard seasons as Williams (2) in two fewer years played.

In the case of Samuel and Metcalf, both have also been named to an All-Pro team as well. For Brown and Metcalf, they both have recorded three straight seasons of at least 800 receiving yards, something Williams has yet to do in his five seasons.

Metcalf and Brown are both signed to CAA Sports Agency, the same agency that represents Williams, which also bodes well for them as they prepare to play out the final year of their rookie deals.

In other words, while Williams is surely a happy camper, it's possible that other receivers around the NFL are camping even happier.