It's been an offseason of change for the Detroit Lions, who will enter the 2021 season with a new-look coaching staff and several new faces on the roster.
Among the new players donning the Honolulu Blue in the Motor City this season are quarterback Jared Goff and RB Jamaal Williams, both of whom were acquisitions of new general manager Brad Holmes.
Williams joined NFL Now earlier this morning to discuss a range of subjects, including the prospect of playing with Goff. For Williams, who admitted to being a Rams fan even during his NFL career, he can't wait to team up with his new quarterback.
“I can't wait,” he said. “My whole life, I've always been a Rams fan, even when I was with the Packers. I still kept up with my team. I've been watching JG for a while now. I like his game, I like how he plays, he's a great leader…I just can't wait to play with my boy.”
“We're about to keep the team chemistry going and get it built,” he said. “Really, just have fun with each other. Eveyrone in this building knows what we're trying to do – we're trying to come out and win and start from the get-go. Just start out with a bang. It starts with us coming together, playing as teammates and being professionals and knowing what we want to be.”
Williams was asked his viewpoint of the 2021 NFL Draft that saw the Lions bring in the likes of Penei Sewell as well as locking up Frank Ragnow with a long-term extension, coupled with the hiring of fiery head coach Dan Campbell. In his answer, Williams put the rest of the NFL on notice.
“It fits us,” he said. “I feel like everyone who came in, the players, the coaches, the staff – everyone has that mindset that we're ready to go and show everyone what we're all about.”
“You better watch out for the Lions because we're coming with fire and gonna fight to the last quarter, the last second, every quarter and play. You're going to have your hands full with us and we're going to execute to the last whistle. It's going to be a hard fought game every time you play the Detroit Lions, for real.”
Of course, Williams was also asked about the drama surrounding his former teammate with the Green Bay Packers, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Williams said that whatever he and Rodgers spoke about will remain between the two of them, but that Rodgers is free to make his own decisions about his future.
“I'm grateful to have been able to play with my boy A-Rog, but at the end of the day, he's a grown man, he's making his own decisions, and he's going to do what's best for him,” he said.
Williams was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round with the 134th overall pick in 2017. In 60 career games, he's racked up 1,985 rushing yards, 961 receiving yards, and 18 career touchdowns.
– – Quotes via Detroit Lions Link – –
