As rumors simmer that the Lions could trade Jameson Williams instead of extending him, the star wide receiver left a few cryptic messages Tuesday on Instagram. The first one called for loyalty before everything.
Lions GM Brad Holmes said last month that the team plans to pick up Williams' fifth-year option -- the deadline to do so is May 1 -- but didn't commit to trying to extend Williams like he did for fellow 2022 draft picks Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph.
That, coupled with the Lions' decision to bring in Texas receiver and likely first-round pick Matthew Golden for a recent pre-draft visit, has "some in NFL circles believing (Williams) could be traded" at this week's draft, Albert Breer reported Monday.
Williams also wrote on Instagram, "Stay Sucka Free" and said "if you scared to pick a side don't play the middle just get all the way out the way ... no faking."
Between those posts he also wrote, "Lord free my brothers man please," so this could just as likely be a statement about a personal, off-the-field issue as anything related to football.
When Lions president Rod Wood was asked Monday about an extension for Hutchinson potentially being imminent, he confirmed that Hutchinson "will be here for the long haul," then pointed to the Lions' "track record of extending our own players, citing Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Alim McNeill.
"And I think that Hutch is likely to be coming up soon. We’ve got Kerby Joseph, who’s also due for an extension," said Wood.
Asked later about the Lions prioritizing their own free agents this offseason, Wood said, "We were focused on keeping our own guys, and keeping money available to deal with Hutch and to deal with Kerby in the future."
He did not mention Williams in either case.
Holmes, meanwhile, acknowledged at the owners meetings that the Lions have had extension talks with Hutchinson and Joseph, but said Williams is "one that you just don’t know what’s going to happen from a financial standpoint, because a wide receiver, it’s expensive. It’s very expensive."
A former first-round pick who was limited by injuries and suspensions his first two seasons, Williams cracked 1,000 receiving yards in year three and looks to be a star on the rise. Whether that's in Detroit or elsewhere remains to be seen.