5. Mike Williams
Mike Williams hits 30 as the grizzled vet among these free-agent receivers, but he’s got the Chiefs’ attention with a resume that shines. He boasts two 1,000-yard seasons—2019 and 2021—and two more with at least 750 yards, proving he’s no flash in the pan.
Experience matters, and Williams delivers.
He towers at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, making him the top red-zone menace on this list. He leaps over cornerbacks like they’re speed bumps, hauling in 32 touchdowns across 106 games—a stat that screams “end-zone magnet.”
For Kansas City, he’d juice up situational plays, giving Mahomes a big-body target to lean on when Kelce’s swarmed.
Williams thrives in the clutch—scripted sets or Mahomes’ off-the-cuff wizardry, he uses his frame to snag contested balls. The Chiefs’ red-zone attack could use that heft; Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy skew smaller, and Kelce can’t do it all. Williams fills a gap, plain and simple.
Age and injuries cloud the outlook, though.
An ACL tear in 2023 gutted his season to three games, and while he suited up for all 18 in 2024, his spark dimmed—he only caught 21 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown, a far cry from his peak. The Jets and Steelers both saw that fade, stuck with an older Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson.
Another year past the ACL might coax back his burst—Kansas City would bank on that. At 30, Williams hunts a ring, not a payday. A one-year deal could lure him cheap. Mahomes isn’t Rodgers; he could reignite Williams’ fire for a Super Bowl push.