Patriots don't appear to be involved in Mike Williams' free agency

BOSTON -- The Patriots signed K.J. Osborn over the weekend. While that shouldn't preclude them from adding a veteran wide receiver to the roster, it appears as though they won't be pursuing Mike Williams.

The seventh overall pick of the 2017 draft, Williams was released by the Chargers as a salary cap casualty last week. The 29-year-old is now set to meet with several teams, but the Patriots are not one of them, according to Adam Schefter.

Williams played just three games last year, suffering a torn ACL in late September. He had seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in three quarters before suffering the injury in a win in Minnesota.

In 2022, Williams caught 63 passes for 895 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. And in 2021, Williams had the most productive season of his career, catching 76 passes for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns. In his career, he's caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns.

Though injuries kept him out of 18 games over the past two seasons, he averaged 15.5 games per year from 2018-21.

Williams most recently signed a three-year deal in 2022 worth $60 million, and his release is costing the Chargers nearly $12.5 million in dead cap money.

It's unclear what kind of money Williams will command as a free agent, but it doesn't appear as though the Patriots are entering the bidding process.