Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, Detroit’s adopted son, is having fun right where he belongs

DETROIT — The adopted son of this city changed out of his work uniform, turned the corner, walked up three steps, hung a left down the hall and stepped into a room that was all too new to him.

“I ain’t never did this before,” said Jameson Williams Sunday evening, grinning from ear to ear inside Ford Field’s postgame media room, as a group of reporters gathered to ask about a night years in the making.

Upon arrival for his first-ever postgame lectern appearance, Williams’ eyes darted from left to right. He sized up the room and quickly became familiar with his surroundings. He soon looked right at home, smile on his face, discussing his place in the sport that means more to him than most know, after putting a bow on the game of his life.

This sort of spotlight is typically reserved for impact players, the guys relied upon week in and week out by this Detroit Lions franchise. For much of his young career, Williams hasn’t been one of them. Some of this out of his control, some of it squarely in it. But those who know him best believe he’s finally ready to become one.

Little by little, things are starting to slow down for one of the NFL’s fastest wide receivers, as he settles into a community that wants nothing more than for him to make it.

The community that raised Williams, in many ways, reminds those from it of Detroit. It’s tight-knit. Everybody knows everybody. They look after their own — especially those who have their sights set on more.

This, of course, is St. Louis, Missouri. Williams is from the Show-Me State. It’s all he’s ever wanted to do — show people what he believes he was destined to do. Along the way, he’s had to avoid the pitfalls that come with growing up in an area whose temptations get the best of many. But Williams, thanks to a childlike exuberance that’s never left, has been able to rise above it all.

“He’s somebody that always lifted the people around him,” James Williams, Jameson’s father, told The Athletic. “No matter what circle he was in, he was always somebody that just lifted the circle and gave ’em joy and brought positive energy.”

The environment Williams comes from helped prepare him for the life he’d eventually go on to live. His family is close. They’re also disciplined, using sports as an avenue to teach life lessons. When he was younger, Williams and his family would wake up for 6 a.m. workouts. And yes, all of them have track speed.

James and Tianna Williams, Jameson’s parents, ran track at St. Louis’ Sumner High School, and in college, too. They were high school sweethearts, and together, raised four children who’d follow in their footsteps. James Jr., the oldest, ran track at Northwest Missouri State. Williams’ sister Ja’Inna ran track at Wayland Baptist University. His younger brother, Jaden, ran track at Western Texas and played football at Detroit’s Wayne State University.

And then there’s Jameson, the kid whose top gear was in a class of its own. Well, depending who you ask.

“Let’s set the record straight: I beat him in the last race we raced. He was about 12,” James Williams said, laughing. “…But he is the fastest out of the four kids. His leg strength, his body length with his fast-twitch mixed together, I mean, it’s a powerful potion as you can see on the field.”

Those who grew up with Williams can verify. He was always one of the fastest — if not, the fastest — kids in the St. Louis area. In a family full of track stars, his speed was different. It was easy. The type you can’t teach and the type that came so effortlessly.

This became clear to Isaiah Williams — a childhood friend of Jameson’s in St. Louis, and now his teammate in Detroit — the first day they raced as kids.

“He was never really into track early on when we was younger,” Isaiah Williams said. “At the time, I’m like the fastest in the area. His first meet, he comes out there, we race against each other. He beat me. Then after that, he kind of just took off.”

Took off indeed. That speed, as one would imagine, easily translated to the football field. Truthfully, that’s where Williams was most comfortable.  He put on pads for the first time at age 6. James Williams still remembers the first day his son played a game. When the game concluded and it was time to home, Jameson asked his father to grade his performance in the car.

“Daddy, how did I do?” Jameson asked his father. He gave his son a C.

The fact that James’ harsh grade never fazed young Jameson told his father everything he needed to know — he was having fun. Football was a way to showcase his personality. Williams attributes this mentality to his youth football coach, Corey Patterson, now Purdue’s wide receivers coach. Williams and his teammates were encouraged to be themselves, to maximize their talents on the field. He never lost sight of it, never lost the spark.

“The way he taught us how to play the game is just to have fun,” Williams said. “We was out there, he’ll tell us to celebrate. When Terrell Owens did the popcorn celebration, he had us do that in little league. So, like, he just used to instill that into us to just have fun in the game. I fell in love with the game at early age, so I just wanted to go to the NFL. That was my main goal since I was like six years old. I wanted to play in the NFL.”

A lot of kids will say their goal is to play in the NFL, but in high school, it became less of a pipe dream and a real possibility. But first, there was a process to this. Williams had to pick a school that would best prepare him for the next level

A four-star prospect ranked among the top 125 players in his class, his recruitment came down to Ohio State and Alabama. It’s a dream situation for any high school receiver, but one that ultimately led to back-and-forth conversations between Williams and his father. Williams says he liked Ohio State because he envisioned greatness playing alongside fellow top recruit and close friend Garrett Wilson. James Williams, meanwhile, saw Alabama as the better fit. He believes his son is at his best when he’s most comfortable, and felt Alabama’s coaching staff — led by Nick Saban — would create that environment. Same time, he knew his son needed to reach a decision on his own.

Williams chose Ohio State. Looking back, there’s some regret.

“I really think I rushed myself to commit,” Williams said. “I feel like, honestly, I didn’t make the right decision going to Ohio State because it didn’t play out well for me. But you know, things happen and I made it out of there and I ended up where my dad wanted me to be and where I really wanted to be.”

At Ohio State, Williams never quite felt like home. Change occurred. The head coach Williams committed to, Urban Meyer, resigned three months after Williams committed and shut down his recruitment. New coach Ryan Day took over. Williams was staring at a receiver room that consisted of future NFL receivers Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and a young Marvin Harrison Jr., among others. The opportunity and fit weren’t right for Williams. By the end of his sophomore year on campus, he had just 266 receiving yards in 19 games to his name.

So Williams hit the transfer portal — in search of comfort. It led him back to Saban.

“I saw his recruitment as a piece of necessity where he has to be comfortable in order for him to perform at his best,” James Williams said of his son. ” I’ll say this: I love the way Nick Saban is as a human being. And meeting him and being able to talk to him personally, he’s just, I mean, he never changes. It’s not like he’s putting on an act. And I always felt that way about him.”

Alabama’s recruitment of Williams was unlike any other program. Saban facetimed him, something James Williams says he didn’t often do unless you were a top target. There were house trips, more meaningful conversations, a plan for how to use him. It made for an easy transition because Williams immediately felt at home. He’d be going up against complex defenses and DBs that were league-bound. He put his trust in Saban, in perhaps his final chance at reaching his NFL goal. Saban didn’t let him down.

In his final year of college football, Williams saved his best for last. He recorded 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns during the 2021 season. He was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. He helped his quarterback, Bryce Young, win the Heisman Trophy. And he helped Saban and Alabama return to the National Championship.

For anyone questioning Williams’ love of the game, look no further than that National Championship. Georgia vs. Alabama. Two heavyweights, littered with pro talent. In the second quarter, tied at 3 apiece, Williams found himself wide open against a stacked Georgia defense. He hauled in the pass, made a move upfield, planted his leg awkwardly and quickly fell. There on the ground, he lingered,  grabbing his knee.

Deep down, Williams knew what happened. He’d torn his ACL in the final game of his career, in the middle of a championship game. He just didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to accept it.

He pleaded to continue playing — wanting so badly to be there for his teammates and the coach who took him in. But Alabama doctors didn’t let him. After all, he had a future to worry about.

“I was finna come back out, I promise you,” Williams says of that day. “I knew it was everything. I was in the locker room. I was running around and everything. I ran. I was running on it. I was about to come back out, but the head doctor, he actually came in there and stopped everything. …We was in (Lucas Oil) stadium. They got a little hallway. I was running back and forth. I was like, ‘I’m ready. I’m gonna go back out, man.’ But then the head doctor overruled everything. …He told me it was best to sit down.”

A few months later, despite not being able to partake in the pre-draft process, Williams’ dreams became reality. The Detroit Lions traded up from pick No. 32 to 12 to acquire him — torn ACL and all.

“He’s got great speed, but man, I’ll tell you what, this guy’s got a lot of competitive character,” Saban said of Williams ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. “He’s got a lot of dawg in him. …I really love Jameson. He added so much to our program, and when you’ve got wide receivers on your team that have great competitive character, that’s really helpful to the development of the whole group. I think he did a wonderful job in that regard, as well.”

The love remains mutual. To this day.

“That’s my guy, man,” Williams said earlier this year, when news of Saban’s retirement spread. “I just appreciate everything he’s done for me. He did a lot for me. I feel like without him, I wouldn’t be in this position today — this same exact position I am today. I just thank him for everything.”

Jameson Williams found a home with his teammates in Detroit, even as his first two seasons came with major disruptions. (Junfu Han / USA Today)

The Lions are a franchise that places a considerable emphasis on character, work ethic, love of the game. Perhaps more than most.

When general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell arrived in Detroit, they mutually agreed to create an environment driven not by guys who simply play football, but by “football players,” as they so often say. Williams is very much the latter.

This is a guy who played gunner at Alabama and took pride in doing so. He loves to block. He’s quick to hype up his teammates and defend them. As a rookie recovering from the knee injury, you could often find him on the sideline in street clothes during games, chirping back at opponents who got in the face of fellow Lions.

Don’t let that smile on his face fool you. This game, and the opportunities it’s presented him, means the world to him. He takes nothing for granted.

“He truly has a love for the game of football,” Tianna Williams told The Athletic. “When the fans pour into him and he’s able to bring excitement to them and the game, it makes him happy and wants to continue to take his game to another level.”

“You know, football was a way out for me,” Williams said. “Being from St. Louis, it’s a lot of bad things going on. Killing, robbing, stealing. A lot of people don’t make it out. It’s a lot of people who don’t even get a chance to make it out. It’s just motivation for me.”

When Williams is away from football, those close to him say he’s not himself. The kid who’s always laughing disappears. He gets in his head. He can go silent. It’s something he’s had to deal with more in the last two years than at any other point in his life.

The road back from his torn ACL was the longest Williams had gone without football. The following year, a gambling suspension — in which he bet on non-NFL games from an NFL-designated facility — kept him away again. Two interrupted years.

Williams, admittedly, went to a dark place.

“If you take away the one thing that he absolutely enjoys and the one thing he’ll retreat to for mental health — you know,” James Williams said, taking his time, searching for the words. “When you take that away, it was a little quiet.”

Suspended for a month, away from the game he loves, Williams relied on his community. His younger brother Jaden — aka “Slim” — was there by his side. His parents were there for him. So were friends he considers family. And his Lions teammates. Williams is the little brother of this locker room. His personality is infectious, and so is his desire to be great. He’s one of them.

“That’s my guy,” Lions linebacker and captain Alex Anzalone said of Williams — his locker mate in Detroit. “..I love his energy. He’s one of those guys that has that dawg in him. To me, he just has the right football mentality that I kind of correlate with. It geeks me up a little bit. Not everyone’s like that.”

Williams had a village. And so, with support from the people who matter most, he put his head down and worked.

There was a set schedule of workouts during his time away. He’d complete two-a-day sessions — one in the morning and one in the afternoon. He has a JUGS machine at home, catching 100 balls a day. Extra work was put in on his own. All to make up for lost time and stay ready when called upon.

Finally, two games earlier than the NFL initially stated, Williams received a call from Holmes.

“What’s the best news that you could receive?” Holmes asked Williams.

“Besides me playing?” Williams said in response.

“Dude, that’s it,” Holmes told him. “You’re back.”

Everyone who’s been around Jameson Williams over the last 11 months or so will tell you the same thing: he’s ready.

Folks in Allen Park saw signs of it last year. When Williams returned from his suspension in October 2023, they felt he was more locked in than ever before. If there was growing up to do prior to his four-game absence, that growth occurred during his time away. James Williams said his son did some soul-searching. People around the team say he was more professional, more confident, more comfortable. He so badly wanted to be one of the guys, and everyone around him saw the steps he was taking to become one. It’s carried over this offseason.

“If you said, ‘Give me one player who is the most improved from that start to finish over that time?’ Jamo is that guy right now,” Campbell said of Williams this offseason. “He is a man on a mission, and I’m just going to leave it at that.”

“Those two years, he showed tremendous growth, showed tremendous growth as a person and as a player,” Holmes said. “So I see it as actually it’s been a good thing because now he’s out there and you can clearly see the maturation in his game. It’s been a joy to see this year.”

It all led to the 2024 opener. An offseason full of hype and expectations, Williams took the field with the starting offense, as the Lions faced the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.

His player intro?

Jameson Williams. Bama.

What we saw that night was a glimpse of the player Williams was drafted to be. He finished with five receptions for a career-high 121 yards — highlighted by a 52-yard touchdown — in a 26-20 Lions win over the Rams. It was the fourth-most yards of any player in Week 1. His average separation score of 0.500 ranked third among receivers and his WR win rate of 42.9 percent ranked fourth, per Fantasy Points Data (min. 15 routes). He was the focal point of one of the league’s best offenses, and often carried it on a night it largely otherwise struggled to produce.

After the game, the NBC crew gave the game ball to quarterback Jared Goff, after once again beating his former team.

But Goff handed the ball to Williams.

“That’s him right there,” Goff said, looking at Williams, as Williams nodded back at him. “He played big today. It was huge.”

When Williams entered the room for his postgame press conference, he did so with that game ball in hand. He looked down at it. Tossed it around. Admired it. Tucked it high and tight.

He held the ball like his life depended on it. Because in many ways, it does.

“I never got a game ball,” Williams said. “Not at ‘Bama, not at nowhere. I ain’t even gonna lie, this right here, this might not leave my hands. I might sleep like this.”

It’s unclear if he did that night. But what is clear, now more than ever, is that Williams is one of the guys.

He’s become an indispensable piece on a roster that believes it can win the Super Bowl. He has opportunities to be a factor. He embraces this community, and in turn, it embraces him right back. There’s a deep level of comfort here — the kind that tends to bring out the best in Williams. Back in January, when asked about Detroit and the city he now resides in, he told reporters he plans to be here a long time.

If he continues on his current trajectory, he will be.

(Top photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)