Jamaal Williams is reportedly moving on in free agency following his best season as an NFL running back, and in the process, he’ll be reunited with a former college teammate.
Williams, an unrestricted free agent, is signing a three-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, according to multiple national reports.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that it a $12 million deal, with $8 million guaranteed.
BYU’s all-time rushing leader scored a league-high 17 rushing touchdowns for the Detroit Lions last season, also setting a franchise record previously held by Hall of Famer Barry Sanders.
Now, he’ll play again with former BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, who’s been a utility player for the Saints since both he and Williams entered the NFL in 2017.
The pair were actually NFL teammates together initially as rookies with Green Bay in the summer of 2017 — though the Packers waived Hill before the season and he ended up in New Orleans, while Williams played four seasons for the team that originally drafted him.
Tyler Dunne of Go Long reported that a number of teams showed interest in Williams, among them the Lions, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and New York Jets.
On Tuesday, the hopes of having Williams remain in Detroit, where he was a fan favorite, appeared to be over when the Lions reportedly reached an agreement to sign former Bears running back David Montgomery.
I just wanna say thank you to all the Detroit fans and everybody apart of the hidden village of the den 🙏🏾 I’ve grown a lot just from those two years and i appreciate every experience I had with every person I came to encounter while I was there. pic.twitter.com/bQZT1LAeNh
— Jamaal Williams (@jswaggdaddy) March 15, 2023
Williams signed with Detroit two years ago in free agency and enjoyed his two best seasons as a pro, becoming a leader both on the field and in the locker room. That two-year contract was for $6 million, according to Spotrac.
After rushing for 601 yards and three touchdowns in his first season for the Lions in 2021, the 27-year-old turned in his first 1,000-yard rushing season as a pro last year, going for 1,066 while averaging 4.1 yards per carry.