The Detroit Lions could be very close to signing star wide receiver Jameson Williams to a contract extension.
During a mailbag edition of the Detroit Lions Podcast, reporter Jeff Risdon took an online question asking who was the next player likely to receive a contract extension from three choices: Jameson Williams, Jake Bates or Brock Wright.
Risdon expressed, "Jamo is getting done sooner rather than later. Very, very, extraordinarily confident on that."
Detroit had decided to pick up the fifth-year option on both their first-round picks in the 2022 draft, Aidan Hutchinson and the talented wideout. Williams is currently slated to earn $15,493,000 for the 2026 season as a result.
Throughout the offseason, the former first-round draft pick has been praised for putting in the extra time in the gym, gaining muscle and working to deeply understand what new offensive coordinator Johnson is aiming to accomplish with the offense.
Williams reportedly gained five pounds of muscle, which should aid in his ability to shed defenders and manage press coverage easier.
“Yeah, I talked to a couple people and they told me why they lift weights and what it helps them with,” Williams explained to reporters. “The thing I took from it was to get stronger. I’m a little guy. DBs like to reroute and stuff like that, so I got to run through the middle across linebackers so I just had to get my strength up a little bit, that’s it.”
Three-time Pro Bowl defender names the team he wants to sign with
Three-time Pro Bowl defender Za’Darius Smith is still on the free agent market, but he knows where he would like to land if it were up to him.
Smith wants to return to the Detroit Lions after finishing the 2024 season there. He had praise for the coaching staff and players, and views it as a place where he can contend for a Super Bowl to cap off his career.
“We both know where I want to be,” Smith told Tyler Dragon of USA Today at the 2025 BET Awards. “Hopefully I can get back to Detroit because the coaching staff and everybody in the front office are great. When I’m there I feel like a leader and like I can influence the young guys and do great things. Hopefully I can get back to where I want to be in Detroit.”
The Lions could benefit from some edge rushing help, but have yet to work anything out with Smith. The team traded for him to help fill the void after Aidan Hutchinson’s season-ending injury, but has yet to prioritize the position this offseason with Hutchinson on his way back for 2025. However, having Smith as an insurance policy may not be a bad idea.
The 32-year-old Smith had four sacks in eight games for Detroit last season after the trade. He has 69 career sacks in 10 NFL seasons, and as he indicated, would be a quality rotation option and leadership piece for the Lions if they found a place for him.
