What Contract Should Lions Offer RB Jamaal Williams?
The Detroit Lions' front office should look to re-sign running back Jamaal Williams.
The talented running back set the tone early for the 2022 season back in training camp.
After a training camp practice, the veteran running back let the team know the standards that were expected each and every day in order to have any chance of success in the upcoming season.
"When you are tired, think of last year and think of that (expletive) record," Williams passionately expressed. "Every time I get tired or I think I can't go no more, I think of that (expletive) record. Last year wasn't it. That ain't us. We can make it. Have some heart. I get emotional about this. I am about to cry, because I care about ya'll. Do your best, let's go. Lions, on three."
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After arriving from Green Bay, Williams set out to prove to others that he had more to offer a team than what he was allowed to showcase with the Packers.
In 2022, the veteran running back recorded 17 rushing touchdowns, and was able to record his first-ever 1,000-yard rushing season.
“I think I’m just gonna get more opportunities to show what I can do outside the backfield, running routes, downhill, try to make more explosive plays. You know what I mean? Just show I can go all the way, and take home runs sometimes, just make plays out there," Williams said during his initial media session with Detroit reporters. “I just want to do more than I’m already doing. I don’t want to feel like, people feel like they already know my cap, my possibilities and how I am already. But, they don’t know how far I really can go. I don’t even know how far I can go, because my potential is unlimited because my mind is. I’m just gonna keep going and find the things that I need to work on. You can never stop working. You know what I mean? That’s my mentality, and I know that’s what you need to believe, if you want to be a better person, always.”
With the offensive line being a strength of the team, one could reasonably see Williams steadily improving his production over the next couple of seasons.
He averaged 4.1 yards per carry during this past season, and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson could even devise more for Williams in the team's passing game in 2023.
As a result of what the 28-year-old means to the team, Holmes should offer Williams a three-year, $15 million contract, with $7 million guaranteed.
