Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Rodgers has plans for Jamaal Williams on 'SNF': 'I'm giving him a hug'

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 1/5/23

The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions have themselves a more-than-intriguing matchup to end the 2022-23 regular season. It's so intriguing, in fact, that the powers that be decided to flex the game to 'Sunday Night Football'.

These are two division foes with a lot on the line. It's going to get chippy out there on the frozen tundra and ironically, it may even get heated. With that said, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has no problem with at least one member of the team that will be invading Lambeau and trying to keep the Packers out of the playoffs.

That player is Lions running back Jamaal Williams, who was drafted by the Packers in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He played with Rodgers for the first four seasons of his career, and the four-time MVP seems more than excited to see his former teammate.

“I’m a hugger, so if I see Jamaal, I’m giving him a hug. I love Jamaal," Rodgers said on Thursday. "He’s one of my all-time favorites. He’s one of the happiest teammates we’ve ever had, one of the greatest guys in the locker room that I’ve been able to work with.”

Aaron Rodgers on Jamaal Williams:

“I’m a hugger, so if I see Jamaal, I’m giving him a hug. I love Jamaal. He’s one of my all-time favorites. He’s one of the happiest teammates we’ve ever had, one of the greatest guys in the locker room that I’ve been able to work with.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 5, 2023

Williams has been a star this season for the Lions — having rushed for 994 yards and 15 touchdowns — but he was a backup for most of his time in Green Bay. The Packers, facing a salary cap crunch, had to decide between paying him or Aaron Jones, and they decided to go ahead with Jones in a one-two punch with former second-round pick A.J. Dillon.

It's not like that decision has backfired on the Packers either. Jones is one of the best all-around running backs in the NFL and has put up 1,448 yards from scrimmage this season to go along with seven total touchdowns.

Without a doubt, Williams has been the catalyst for Detroit's turnaround from a 1-6 start, though, so one has to imagine if along with a hug, Rodgers will relay to his former teammate that he wishes he was still in Green Bay.

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