Just like that, the smoke has cleared and clarity has been restored. With George Pickens being dealt from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Dallas Cowboys, it makes things quite obvious for a team like the Detroit Lions when it comes to dealing with their own soon-to-be-paid wide receiver: Jameson Williams. Put simply, they have to keep him to see what he can do in a non-Ben Johnson offense.
Detroit picked up Williams' fifth-year option, guaranteeing he will be under contract with the Lions for at least one more season. Beyond that, though, things get a little murky. Will Detroit hand him a long-term extension, or will it look to see what he might fetch on the trade market?
In his first three years with the Lions, Williams has only averaged 11 games played per season. While he broke the 1,000-yard threshold last season, he only had a combined 395 yards the two years prior due to injury, suspension and inconsistent play. Detroit was the best team in the NFC during the regular season before collapsing in the playoffs; still, it would behove Detroit to get the most out of their financial investment for this season.
The Pickens trade showed us what a more productive player could get in the final year of his contract.
Detroit Lions would be foolish to trade WR Jameson Williams right now
The Steelers got a third-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2027 in exchange for sending Pickens packing to the Cowboys. They also had to give up a sixth-round pick in 2027 to make the money work. Through the same three NFL seasons, Pickens has been the far more productive player: He will get his team around 1,000 receiving yards and 50-plus catches year in and year out, off-field antics aside.
Yes, I understand that Pickens is playing on an expiring contract, but had it not been for last season's breakthrough, we might already be calling Williams a bust. Even given that Detroit lost both of its rockstar coordinators to other jobs this offseason, I would be shocked if the Lions are not playoff-bound. They still have too much talent to precipitously fall off the cliff. They should be just fine, I think.
Where I am concerned is what happens if Williams fails to repeat what he did last year in the context of Johnson's offense? I understand that Amon-Ra St. Brown is the team's No. 1 wide receiver, but this is a pass-heavy league and Jared Goff can really spin the football. Thankfully, Brad Holmes has emerged as one of the better front office executives in the NFL in recent years. He will not do anything dumb.
Williams' play last year earned him the right to get the fifth-year option and to stay put with the Lions.