GREEN BAY, WI – The start of Jameson Williams’ fourth NFL season didn’t exactly go as he had planned. He produced 26 yards from scrimmage and made only four catches while his team lost, 27-13, to the Green Bay Packers in the Week 1 opener.
But when taking stock of his entire weekend, Williams would probably admit he came out pretty good. That’s because word came down late Saturday night the Detroit Lions had agreed to give Williams, their most electrifying receiver, a three-year contract extension worth up to $83 million. The deal will keep Williams in the Motor City through the 2029 season.
“It means a lot,” Williams said Sunday postgame at Lambeau Field. “I’m excited. I’m thankful to the organization and my people that got it handled and everything.”
Not that long ago, it seemed far from guaranteed the Lions would make a long-term commitment to Williams even though they traded up to take him with the 12th overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft.
In his first three seasons, he missed 18 games. The beginning of his pro career was delayed by a major knee injury he suffered in college. Then he was hit with two separate suspensions for violating the NFL’s gambling and performance-enhancing substances policies.
All the off-the-field turmoil seemed to stunt his development between the lines. But last season, Williams finally blossomed into a dependable option for the Lions and quarterback Jared Goff. He caught 58 passes, produced 1,001 receiving yards and scored eight times in the 2024 regular season. All the while he flashed his big-play potential.
“He’s a guy that we need that we’re going to rely on this season and moving forward,” receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “Just to have him for the next three or four years, whatever it is, it’s huge. Being able to keep your key players is big just to keep that continuity, that chemistry.”
General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have worked to ensure the Lions’ core remains intact. To achieve that objective, the organization has invested huge sums of money — $788.5 million to sign eight cornerstone players over the past 16 months — with contract extensions for Goff, Penei Sewell, St. Brown, Kerby Joseph, Alim McNeill, Taylor Decker, David Montgomery and now Williams.
“We go out there and lay it on the line for coach and the front office every week, you know, every day in practice,” Williams said. “It feels good seeing those guys have faith in me. That’s the main thing. Feeling good going into the season.”
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Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions WR Jameson Williams reacts to mammoth contract extension: ‘It means a lot’
Reporting by Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
