After a breakout 2024 season, Lions fans should be celebrating the rise and redemption arc of Jameson Williams, not debating his long-term fit.
Hey, here’s an idea: how about we let Jameson Williams play this upcoming season before we start making plans for his future, yeah?
I know. I get it. You’re still not over how he missed the majority of his rookie season with an ACL injury he suffered in the National Championship game that same year. You might still be stuck on how a 23-year-old could make some questionable decisions, like lighting off fireworks or getting suspended for gambling while on the job site. And he still didn’t learn from those mistakes. After all, he was suspended again for “PEDs” last year, and that incident with a gun, surely all that would prevent him from reaching his potential, right?
Wait, he finished 2024 as one of the most dynamic big-play threats in the NFL? Of the 94 wide receivers with at least 45 targets, Williams finished fourth in yards per reception (17.3) and third in yards after catch per reception (8.4). But what about his hands? I remember how his hands were a huge problem at training camp, and he was catching the ball with his body too much… He posted the 18th-best drop rate (3.3%, two drops) and finished ahead of similarly targeted receivers like DeVonta Smith and Nico Collins (both at 5.6% and four drops a piece) and Jaylen Waddle (9.4%, six drops).
Alright, so he had one good season; that doesn’t mean you empty out your wallet for the guy. The Detroit Lions are stock-full of skill position players, some that may need extensions after this season, like Sam LaPorta. Even Brad Holmes admitted that wide receivers are expensive, “very expensive,” in fact . But what seems to get glossed over from Holmes’ media availability at the owners meetings was what he had to say earlier about Jamo.
“Look, he was a tremendous player for us last year,” Holmes said. “He’s still scratching the surface. I do think he’s got more in him as well. So I just think it just makes sense for us to do what we can to keep him around.”
Sounds like a player that the general manager thinks pretty highly of, but I wonder what the coaches think of him…
“Unbelievable. Just unbelievable,” new offensive coordinator John Morton had to say about his first impression of Williams . “When I first got here, he came in to see me, we had a chat, and I’m painting the picture, ‘This is what you need to do, this is how I see it,’ and he has been unbelievable. Unbelievable in the meetings, the attention to detail; I mean, I’m so excited to see him this year.”
Even the guy heading up this whole operation, Dan Campbell, is excited for what’s to come for Williams, even looking to him as one of the focal points for the offense moving forward.
“The sky’s the limit for him,” Campbell said ahead of Friday’s session of OTAs. “He’s exactly where we want him to be right now at this point. He’s been here, he’s grinding, he’s getting better. Scottie [Montgomery] is freakin’ grinding him. It’s awesome. But we expect him to have a huge season. We really do, man. He’s going to be one of these guys that we’re going to lean on this year and is really going to be big for us. All he’s got to do is just keep working like he’s working, and we’ll be good.”
And the chemistry between Williams and quarterback Jared Goff, the trust and communication between the two, it continues to develop. Goff recognized how far Jamo has come in those respects and marveled at the growth he’s seen in Williams consistency and leadership.
“He’s already made it, man. It’s been awesome to see. He’s done a hell of a job,” Goff said last week. “Just continue to do what he’s done, and just get more consistent—and he’s done that. He really has. He’s working hard, he’s being a leader now, which is fun to see him grow into that and show guys how he wants to do things. He’s talking to me a ton. It’s fun, man.”
Here’s the bottom line: Williams is a vital piece of the Lions’ offensive success—and that was already true in 2024. It wasn’t just the emergence of Jahmyr Gibbs last season, Williams played a key role in taking Detroit’s offense to another level. The coaches are gushing about him and predicting a “breakout” season for a player who already had that type of season a year ago—the general manager echoed that with his “still scratching the surface” comment, too.
So, instead of spending the offseason drumming up potential exit strategies for Detroit’s 24-year-old receiver still realizing his potential, how about we embrace the integral role he’ll play for the Lions? After all, tough times don’t last, but tough people do, and that feels especially true for the redemption of Jameson Williams.