Mike Williams thinks he has something to prove "because last year was terrible for me"

A year after the Chargers cut him, wide receiver Mike Williams is back, and eager to show he's the same player Chargers fans remember from his two 1,000-yard seasons with the franchise.

Williams did not look like the same player last year, when he played half the season with the Jets and half the season with the Steelers, and when he was asked at his introductory press conference if he thinks he has something to prove, Williams answered, "Well, yeah, I feel like it, because last year was terrible for me, for sure."

Williams didn't badmouth either of the two teams he played for last year and went out of his way to make clear he has no hard feelings toward Aaron Rodgers, who blamed him for a costly interception before he was traded to the Steelers. But he also detailed what a struggle the 2024 season was for him.

"I'm just being honest. It was terrible," Williams said. "Probably the worst year I've had in the league by far. So, yeah, I'm just putting it in the past. That was the past. Trying to make it feel like it didn't happen for me. But, yeah, just getting back to what I'm used to doing and having fun, that's my main thing. This is where it all started and I'm excited to be back."

Williams managed to play in 18 regular-season games last year — a rare feat that he accomplished because he was traded from the Jets to the Steelers before the Jets' bye and after the Steelers' bye — but he said the ACL rehab he was going through was difficult, because he was accustomed to the medical staff he had long known with the Chargers. He's glad to be back with the Chargers now.

"Never wanted to leave, on my side, but it's the business part of football, and things happen," Williams said. "But now I'm back, and happy to be back."