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Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams told reporters after the end of the regular season he needs to get stronger for 2026.
Wide receiver Jameson Williams continued his progression with the Detroit Lions in his fourth season during 2025. The 24-year-old wideout posted career bests of 65 catches and 1,117 receiving yards.
But according to the receiver himself, Williams still has something he badly needs to work on this offseason.
“I want to get stronger for sure. That’s my main goal,” Williams told reporters during the team’s locker room clean out day, via SI on Lions’ John Maakaron. “I want to get a little stronger. Move around a little more frequently.
“When I go through traffic on routes, I’m getting pushed over. I just need to be able to hold my weight a little bit.”
The Lions listed Williams at 6-foot-1 and 182 pounds in 2025. The key for the 24-year-old will be putting on weight while maintaining his elite speed.
With that elite speed, Williams has been among the leaders in yards per catch since entering the league in 2022. He averaged 17.2 yards per reception during 2025.
How Jameson Williams Can Get Even Better for Lions
The Lions receiving room is filled with playmakers. So, it’s hard to imagine the group getting even better next season.
But small improvements can often yield big dividends. Those small improvements don’t have to come in free agency either.
Rather, the Lions passing attack could be even more lethal if Williams is more physical.
Detroit gained a more physical receiver in last year’s draft with Isaac TeSlaa. At 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds, TeSlaa scored six touchdowns as a rookie.
Lions leading receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is also stout, standing at 6-feet and 202 pounds.
Williams is Detroit’s speedy deep threat. It’s unlikely the Lions want to sacrifice that for more girth in Williams’s body.
But if he can round out his frame while still being a speed demon, he will have the potential to be a more well-round pass catcher.
Williams has recorded back-to-back campaigns with 1,000 receiving yards. He’s averaged 17 yards per catch in his career and 17.2 yards per reception the past two years combined.
Williams, Lions Aim to Bounce Back in 2026
The Lions won 12 games and then 15 contests during the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons, respectively. The team captured the NFC North title in both years.
But in 2025, the Lions were very inconsistent, in large part because of injuries, during the second half of the year. That led to an 8-9 record and last-place finish in the division.
Despite the record, the Lions appear rather set at pass-catcher for next year entering the offseason. To get back to the postseason, Detroit needs to address its offensive line and secondary.
But that doesn’t mean Williams and others won’t be looking to improve as the entire Lions roster aims to bounce back.
“We had a chance going into that game, and we were still going for something, but it was just kind of different this year,” said Williams, via Maakaron. “I wouldn’t say it was down or anything, but it just felt different. But like coach said, it’s just fuel to the fire.
“We’re going to come back. We going to have it on our back, a chip on our shoulder. We’re just going to get done what we have to get done next year.”
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
Vikings Trade Pitch Secures $75 Million QB to Compete With JJ McCarthy
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Quarterback Geno Smith of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Minnesota Vikings should have a lot of options to add to the quarterback room this offseason, but they may not have so many ideal ones.
Kevin Seifert of ESPN authored an overview of the possibilities in front of Minnesota as the offseason approaches, many of which Heavy has already entertained. Joe Flacco is a free agent and wants to continue playing. Aaron Rodgers is a free agent and won’t return to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but may want to retire.
The Atlanta Falcons have financial incentive to part with Kirk Cousins, which could clear a path to a reunion in Minnesota, but he’s not the same player he was when he left Minneapolis.
Green Bay Packers backup Malik Willis will be a free agent but might cost too much on too great of a commitment, while the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins appear prepared to part with Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa, respectively, via trade. But Murray and Tagovailoa have had injury and consistency issues and will prove costly in terms of trade price and remaining contract obligations.
A trade for Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers is perhaps one of the best options, but a Day 2 pick and change in trade value could create competition for his services around the league.
One novel possibility Seifert mentioned on Sunday, January 18 is a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for Geno Smith, whose days in the desert are numbered after the franchise landed the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft and is poised to select Indiana quarterback/Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
“Smith could be available via trade,” Seifert wrote. “Smith ranked No. 27 in NFL QBR this season.”
Vikings Can Trade for Geno Smith at Considerable Discount
GettyLas Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith.
The Raiders traded a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks to procure Smith last offseason and then signed him to a two-year extension worth $75 million that runs through the 2027 campaign, during which Smith will play at 37 years old.
Smith was a two-time Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023 but his play last year took a nose dive in meaningful ways. Most prominent were Smith’s 17 interceptions, which led the league.
The argument for him in Minnesota is that after a down season and the Raiders’ ability to move on to Mendoza, Smith shouldn’t cost more than a Day 3 draft pick. Beyond that, Las Vegas won’t be able to move Smith without assuming a reasonable amount of his $26.5 million base salary in 2026.
Smith doesn’t make much sense for the Vikings if he costs nearly $27 million and a third-round pick to acquire. But if his price is a fifth-rounder and approximately $10 million in annual salary next year with an option to move on relatively inexpensively in 2027 if things don’t work out, the math on a deal changes considerably for Minnesota.
Vikings Must Decide Type of QB They Want to Challenge JJ McCarthy
GettyQuarterback JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Regardless of whether Smith ends up a target for the Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell has been clear about his vision for the quarterback room.
“I absolutely want a competitive situation,” O’Connell said.
“ESPN quizzed sources on the possibility of the Vikings pursuing a quarterback with enough stature to vault ahead of McCarthy as the unquestioned 2026 starter before camp begins. None could rule it out,” Seifert continued. “At the very least, and perhaps more realistically, the Vikings will target a quarterback equivalent to what [Daniel] Jones was in 2025, when he won the [Indianapolis] Colts‘ job in training camp and started 13 games before tearing his right Achilles.”
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible