After running back Jamaal Williams rushed for a league-leading 17 touchdowns last season, many believed the Detroit Lions would do everything to keep him in the building. However, it turns out that the Lions didn’t make that much of an effort, at least according to the player himself.
Williams ended up leaving Detroit shortly after free agency opened and signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. He was officially introduced on Friday and didn’t hold back when talking about his former employers.
Williams told the media that the offer Lions ended up giving him was “disrespectful” and made him feel like they didn’t want to keep him.
“The offer they gave me, I felt like was disrespectful and showing that they really didn’t want me to be there like that,” said Williams.
After Williams rejected their initial offer, the Lions quickly moved on to other options and ended up locking former Chicago Bears back David Montgomery into a deal. Reportedly, Montgomery received a three-year, $18 million contract.
Jamaal Williams spent the first four years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, where he mostly served as a second option behind Aaron Jones. He joined the Lions ahead of the 2021 NFL campaign and, after an underwhelming first year in Detroit, delivered a breakthrough campaign last season. Williams rushed for 1,066 yards and 17 TDs, with the later mark being more than he had in all his previous years as a pro.
