The Detroit Lions have become one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL and it’s not a coincidence it happened when Jameson Williams joined the team.
The explosive playmaker from Alabama was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Despite a lost rookie season, Williams has become a perfect complement to Detroit’s other weapons including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta.
While Williams has been impressive, it sets him up to get paid in the near future. Lions general manager Brad Holmes was confronted with Williams’s future during the NFL Owner’s Meetings and it sounds like a big announcement could be coming soon.
Brad Holmes Suggests Lions Will Exercise Jameson Williams’s Fifth-Year Option
According to ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, Holmes suggested that the Lions will pick up his fifth-year option ahead of the May deadline. The move will cost the Lions $15.4 million in the final year of Williams’s rookie deal in 2026. But Holmes suggested it’s a worthy price to pay considering his performance.
“Look, it’s heading that way that we are most likely going to be doing that,” Holmes said. “He was a tremendous player for us last year. He’s still scratching the surface. I do think he’s got more in him as well, so I just think it makes sense for us to do what we can to keep him around.”
The pending move is another victory for Holmes’ work in the 2022 draft. Aidan Hutchinson is set to get a big extension after collecting 28.5 sacks in three seasons, and third-round pick Kerby Joseph is next in line after snagging an NFL-high nine interceptions last season. The Lions have also made a habit of rewarding their homegrown talent in recent years, striking deals with Penei Sewell (four years, $112 million) and St. Brown (four years, $120 million) last offseason.
While Hutchinson and Joseph are worthy of extensions, Williams can’t be far behind. After catching a 41-yard touchdown in his rookie season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered at Alabama, Williams caught 24 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns in 2023 and broke out with 58 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Williams has also established himself as a dynamic weapon, running 15 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
It may take one more season of production for Williams to get paid. But building off last year’s success may be the best way to do it. Playing in an explosive Lions offense will help his case and it could make the speedster a long-term playmaker in Detroit.