The Detroit Lions picked up Jameson Williams’ fifth-year option earlier this offseason, locking in a $15.5 million price tag for 2026. That was the easy part. The hard part—the one Detroit might not even want to solve—is figuring out what it will cost to keep him beyond that.
And the answer, thanks to Garrett Wilson, just got a whole lot worse.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New York Jets just handed Wilson a four-year, $130 million deal. That’s $32.5 million per season. Williams is coming off a breakout season, led the league in yards per catch among qualified wideouts, and is just now hitting his stride. His number was already climbing. Now it might break the scale.
General manager Brad Holmes has been pretty honest about the situation. At the NFL League Meetings, he acknowledged a Williams extension was on the radar but far from a sure thing:
“In terms of extensions, again, there’s a lot of extensions that are hopefully coming, but it’s just one that you don’t know what’s gonna happen from a financial standpoint,” Holmes said. “Because a wide receiver is very expensive. Look, these are good problems to have.”
Jameson Williams is in for a massive pay raise thanks to Garrett Wilson
Spotrac pegged Williams’ value around three years and $59 million. That might’ve worked before Wilson’s deal, but it won’t now. For context, Wilson has posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons, but hasn’t contributed to a single winning team. Williams just hit 1,000 yards for the first time, but did it as the WR2 in one of the league’s most explosive offenses. Production is close. Situation isn’t.
The Lions already paid Amon-Ra St. Brown. They still have massive deals to make with Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs. Another big-money wide receiver contract would force the front office to make hard decisions elsewhere.
Williams earned more trust last season and cleaned up his route tree, but the baggage hasn’t fully gone away. Between the suspensions, a police incident, and multiple fines, there’s still some risk baked into any long-term deal. But the real issue is value. If he builds on 2024, that $25–30 million range isn’t far-fetched.
At that point, waiting becomes costly.
There are scenarios where the Lions just play out the deal and reassess. There are also scenarios—think trade—that suggest a long-term extension might never be in the plan. Detroit has internal options like Dominic Lovett and Isaac TeSlaa they’re high on, and the market still has plug-and-play veterans if needed. There are ways to replace Williams’ role. Replacing his cost is another story.
This doesn’t have to end in a trade. It doesn’t even have to end in a standoff. But unless something changes soon, it’s trending toward one or the other with his price tag surging thanks to Wilson.
