LOCALS IN THE NFL
Report: Former BYU RB Jamaal Williams Signs Two-Year Contract With Detroit Lions
Mar 16, 2021, 10:20 PM | Updated: 10:21 pm
Jamaal Williams #30 of the Green Bay Packers reacts during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park on November 03, 2019 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – BYU football’s all-time leading rusher Jamaal Williams has found a new NFL home in the Detroit Lions. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Williams is signing a two-year contract worth up to $7.5 million with the Detroit Lions.
A four-year NFL veteran, Williams has spent his entire NFL career with Detroit’s NFC North rival, the Green Bay Packers. After Green Bay inked a new contract with running back Aaron Jones, it sent Williams into free agency for the first time in his pro career.
Former #Packers RB Jamaal Williams is signing a two-year deal worth up to $7.5 million with the #Lions, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 17, 2021
According to Williams, many teams were in the running to sign the former BYU star during the negotiating period before the official start to NFL Free Agency on Wednesday at 2 p.m. (MDT).
Jamaal Williams joining the Detroit Lions
On Monday, Williams told NFL Network what he was looking for in his new team.
“I just want a team where everybody’s professional-minded,” said Williams on NFL Network. “Everybody know what we gotta do to win a Super Bowl. Go get a ring. Just be professional about it and have fun and do it together. And know that this is really a whole team effort. When having me on the team, I’m all about the team. And I let my teammates know, we gotta have each other’s backs when we go into war. Because we the only ones out there, you know what I mean? As long as everybody’s sacrificing and doing the right things and we doing it as a team, good things happen. That’s what I’m looking for.”
Last season, Adrian Peterson led the Lions in rushing with 604 yards on 156 carries. Adrian Peterson’s future with the Lions is now to be determined with the reported signing of Williams. The Lions also feature running back D’Andre Swift, who was second in rushing yards behind Peterson with 521.
Williams was a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft coming out of BYU. He’s rushed for a total of 1,985 yards and hauled in 961 receiving yards.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.
