How Jameson Williams' Contract Impacts Future Lions Salary Cap Plans

The Detroit Lions have committed to Jameson Williams as a part of their future.

On the night before their regular season opener against the Green Bay Packers, reports indicated that Williams inked a three-year contract to remain with the organization for a total of the next five years.

The Alabama product is in the fourth year of his rookie contract, and the team tacked on an additional year of his deal this offseason by picking up his fifth-year option. As a result, his new contract extension will begin with the 2027 season.

Williams' contract is officially valued at three years, $80 million with $66 million guaranteed and $30.6 million is fully guaranteed at signing. If he is on the roster on the third day of the 2026 league year, then his salary for the 2027 will be fully guaranteed.

As such, Williams will have $8 million of his 2028 salary guaranteed if he is on the Lions' roster on the third day of the 2027 league year. On the third day of the 2028 league year, the remaining $12 million of his salary would become guaranteed.

According to OverTheCap.com, Williams has $66,222,400 in option bonuses spread out across a total of eight years. This is due to the fact that the Lions have tacked on five void years to the end of his contract.

The Lions are essentially spreading out the cap hit of the talented wide receiver, as several other key players have already inked extensions. Additionally, key members of the 2023 draft class such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch are due for extensions beginning this offseason.

As a result, the first year of Williams extension would line up with the first year of any extension signed by a member of the Lions' 2023 draft class excluding Gibbs and Campbell, who would be playing theoretically under the fifth-year options allotted to teams for players they draft in the first round.

Here is a year-by-year breakdown of Williams' new contract, which takes effect beginning in the 2027 season and has five void years tacked on at the end. All information regarding Williams' contract extension is courtesy of OverTheCap.com.