The Detroit Lions are entering a pivotal year in 2025 and there are many coaches and players under a lot of pressure. I've talked about how the Lions might be a team to watch as a surprise team to miss the playoffs this coming season, and while that may be a dramatic worst-case scenario, there are more questions this team will have to answer this year than is typically comfortable for any NFL team.
One of the top players under pressure given the circumstances is former first-round wide receiver Jameson Williams, who has dealt with injuries, suspensions, and plenty of non-football issues early in his NFL career.
Williams came into the NFL with injury concerns. He was suspended for violating the league's gambling policy. He's been suspended for violating the league's PED policy. He was involved in a traffic stop for being the passenger in a car with an unregistered gun.
You add all of this up in combination with Williams continually progressing as a player in the first three years of his career, and you have brutal decision if you're general manager Brad Holmes. Do you pay this guy like an elite receiver, or do you trade him away and let someone else do it?
Regardless of what the Lions end up doing contract-wise, Dan Campbell wasted no time revving up the hype train at Lions OTAs.
Dan Campbell and Lions expecting "huge" year from Jameson Williams
"I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves in OTAs, but I mean, there’s so much versatility with him. There’s so many things we can do just with his routes on the outside. I mean, we can do things inside. But just with his speed and he’s gotten so much stronger, you know? His ability to stop, put his foot in the ground. When you can run like he runs and now you’re beginning to [develop] where, man, you can stop on a dime? I mean, you talk about a hard cover.
So, the sky’s the limit for him. 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. [Assistant head coach/wide receivers] Scottie [Montgomery’s] freaking 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. And all he’s got to do is keep working like he’s working and we’ll be good.”
- Dan Campbell (via PFT)
Williams has a lot at stake this year. He could potentially be looking at the very real possibility of getting no less than $30 million per year on a new contract, whether that's with the Lions or someone else.
He had over 1,000 yards on just 58 receptions last year, averaging over 17 yards per catch and scoring seven touchdowns. If he can increase his offensive output with more targets (while staying out of trouble off the field) he could be getting basically a blank check next offseason.