
The Detroit Lions have unlocked Jameson Williams.
After some struggles early in his career with inconsistency, Williams has burst onto the scene with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He inked a three-year extension on the eve of last season, and appears to be entrenched as a top option for the offense in the upcoming season.
In a video posted to the Lions' social media channels, quarterback Jared Goff floated a pass out in the direction of Williams down the field. The fifth-year wide receiver runs under it, making the grab and getting both feet in bounds for a score.
At the end of the play, the receiver does his trademark ball-spin to celebrate the score. The Lions and their loyal fan base are hoping to see plenty of this throughout their 2026 campaign.
Last year, Williams had a career-best 65 catches and 1,117 receiving yards. He scored seven touchdowns for the second-consecutive season. Prior to the start of the regular season, Williams inked a three-year contract extension worth up to $83 million.
In his career, Williams has 148 catches for 2,513 yards and 17 touchdowns. While he is known as the team's second-option behind All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown, he has the ability to be a major difference maker for the team's offense.
Waymo TD ➡️ Waymo ball spin pic.twitter.com/Rpsf3qcrbr
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) June 9, 2026
Detroit is also hoping to get big production from Sam LaPorta, who has been nursing an injury that ended his season last year. When healthy, LaPorta has quickly proven himself as one of the NFL's best receiving tight ends and continues to develop as a run-blocker.
The Lions drafted Williams with the No. 12 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, trading up 20 spots to land him even though he was recovering from a torn ACL suffered while playing for Alabama in the national championship game.
Though he missed a significant portion of his rookie season, he was able to make an impact late in the year as his only catch of that season was a 41-yard touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.
Williams' top quality has been his ability to stretch the defense vertically, but he has goals of continuing to become a more complete receiver in 2026. During a recent practice session during Detroit's organized team activities, Williams got the best of the Lions' defense.
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