Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams had a career-high 143 yards in Week 16 against the Chicago Bears, highlighted by an 82-yard touchdown. Head coach Dan Campbell went a step further to call it the best game of Williams' career.
If not for missing two games due to a suspension and two other games where he totaled two catches for five yards, Williams might already be at 1,000 yards for the season. But he's within range to get it anyway, 110 yards shy with two games to go and it feels inevitable he will. His 18.9 yards per catch is the highest in the league among players with at least 30 receptions this season, as his connection with Jared Goff has notably progressed as hoped.
On the idea of getting the first 1,000-yard season of his career, Williams had some expected sentiment when speaking to reporters on Friday.
"I'm aware of it,” Williams said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I ain’t trying to force it, though. We still got two games ahead of us, that’s the main priority, getting a team win. If it comes, it’s coming. It’s on my mind, of course, but it’s nothing to stress about.”
NFL analyst totally ignores where Jameson Williams' priorities are
Clearly using a previous post on Saturday about wide receiver George Pickens and a possible parting of ways with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason as a jumping off point, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offered quite a thought about Williams.
"For now, Williams is leading the league with 18.94 yards per catch. Like Steelers receiver George Pickens, Williams becomes eligible for a second contract after the regular season ends. Like Pickens, Williams has torn an ACL. Like Pickens, Williams might want his second contract before accepting further risk of injury during playoff games."
What?
In the above piece, Florio linked to Birkett's article with the quote from Williams about the "main priority" of a team win over his individual accomplishment. Then Florio ignored the direct quote, and tried to tie Williams to another receiver from his draft class in a specific way.
Beyond that, Pickens and Williams could not be wired more differently. Williams has had some hiccups, yes, but he has clearly progressed as a player and matured as a man this year. Pickens is always a risk to do something overtly stupid during a game, and the next time he'll cause a headache always lingers around the corner.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that Pickens, as Florio suggested in the piece about him, "might even want it (a financial reward)" before the Wild Card Round. Maybe he'd threaten to sit out or give half-hearted effort on the field if he doesn't get it. If Williams went that way heading into the playoffs, it would be shocking. In fact, let's just declare it would not happen and all he's got in common with Pickens is being in his third NFL season.
