Jameson Williams is coming off his best season as a member of the Detroit Lions. The receiver was an effective complement to Amon-Ra St. Brown and helped the Lions secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in team history.
Much has changed for Detroit in the 2025 offseason, and new offensive coordinator John Morton expects even more from Williams.
Jameson Williams To Have ‘Breakout Year’ According to Lions’ OC
Detroit drafted Williams in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He entered the NFL after a strong final college season at Alabama, posting 79 catches, 1,572 yards, and 15 touchdowns. He suffered a torn ACL in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game and started his rookie season on the reserve, non-football injury list.
Williams played in six games that season, totaling one catch for 41 yards and a touchdown. He was suspended for six games the following season for violating the league’s gambling policy. The ban was lifted after four games, and he totaled 24 catches, 354 yards, and two scores in 2023.
He showed up for the team’s run to the NFC Championship game with six catches, 79 yards, and a touchdown while adding one carry for 42 yards and a score.
Williams was suspended for two games in 2024 for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy, but became a critical part of Ben Johnson’s No. 1 offense, according to PFSN’s Offense+ metric. He finished second on the team with 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns, and finished third with 58 receptions.
Morton has a tall task taking over for Johnson. Jared Goff had arguably the best year of his career, throwing for 4,629 yards and 37 touchdowns, and St. Brown was named first-team All-Pro for the second straight season. Morton expects more from everyone and recently said that he expects a “breakout” season from Williams.
The Athletic’s Lions reporter Colton Pouncy reported on Morton’s comments with a post on X.
Lions OC John Morton says WR Jameson Williams has been "unbelievable" this offseason.
Morton: "I'm so excited to see him this year because it's gonna be a breakout year."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy)
Pouncy tweeted, “Lions OC John Morton says WR Jameson Williams has been ‘unbelievable’ this offseason. Morton: ‘I’m so excited to see him this year because it’s gonna be a breakout year.'”
Detroit added two receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft, but Williams is projected as a starter along with St. Brown. However, the road to a third straight NFC North title will be tough, as the Lions have one of the toughest schedules in 2025.
They’ll face their divisional rivals twice and will have multiple brutal road trips. Detroit will travel to the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs. Including divisional games, seven of their nine road games are against 2024 playoff teams.
For Williams to break out in 2025, he’ll have to go through the gauntlet that is the Lions’ schedule.
