5 players that the Jaguars would have liked to target in free agency

No. 3 player the Jaguars wish were available – Mike Williams.

Here’s another wide receiver the Jaguars won’t get to court in free agency and would have given their offense a boost. The difference is that Mike Williams didn’t get the franchise tag. Instead, the Los Angeles Chargers gave him a four-year contract worth $80 million. It will be interesting to see how exactly the contract is structured but he got $40 million in guarantees and there’s a good chance the cap hit will be low in the first and maybe the second year, which will give the Bolts the freedom to make other deals in free agency.

Keeping Williams was a no-brainer for the Chargers. Not only was he a key cog in their offense but he was also healthy, something not other receivers set to hit the open market could claim. Los Angeles has a young core of offensive players in Justin Herbert, wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back Austin Ekeler. They couldn’t afford to lose Williams, especially now with Russell Wilson joining the AFC West.

Looking back, the Chargers made the right call when they drafted Williams seventh overall in 2017, even if it took him a couple of years to find his feet in the NFL. After a disappointing rookie campaign, the former Clemson Tiger hauled in 43 receptions and 664 yards with a career-best 10 touchdowns. While he hasn’t reached the end zone in a season as many times over the last three years, he’s gone over 1,000 receiving yards twice. Simply, Los Angeles wasn’t going to let him walk away in free agency.