Previous reports had Williams as a possible trade candidate ahead of the draft, but nothing came of them, and Holmes made it clear that a trade was never on the table. Detroit ultimately took Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams with the No. 28 pick, adding to a front-seven that was crushed by injuries in 2025. Williams will remain the team’s WR2 for the upcoming season, offering an elite weekly ceiling despite his limited role in the Detroit offense. The Lions are expected to pick up Williams’ fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through the 2026 season.

Brad Holmes was demonstrably less enthusiastic about re-signing Jameson Williams as compared to the extensions he said he was going to negotiate with Kerby Joseph and Aidan Hutchinson this offseason, per The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy. It probably comes down to what the Lions could command in return for Williams, who has two years left on his contract after Detroit picks up his fifth-year option, but we’d find it hard to believe they’d just deal their No. 2 wideout away without being in position to land one of the best receivers in this draft and replace him right away. We’re skeptical that the Lions would do this a year early, but we can’t entirely rule it out.

Pouncy is reading between the lines of Holmes’ quote that signing a wide receiver to an extension is “very expensive” and Holmes saying that he’d like to add “more competition” to the wideout room. The Lions have already said that they’ll pick up Williams’ fifth-year option, but it is possible that they spend an earlier pick than expected on a wideout and prepare for Williams’ eventual departure while adding a little extra spice to the offense in the short term. Pouncy notes that the team hasn’t spent a Day 1 or 2 pick on a wideout since they drafted Williams in 2022.