Getty Image / Joe Sargent
This week, the Detroit Lions had some surprising developments at the running back position.
Instead of re-signing Jamaal Williams, the team decided to sign free agent running back David Montgomery.
Williams then proceeded to sign with the New Orleans Saints.
Today Williams told Mlive‘s Kyle Meinke that he felt like the offer received from the Lions was “disrespectful”.
It wasn’t all that long ago that it seemed very likely Williams would be returning to the Lions. Both sides appeared to be interested and for good reason.
Williams was an absolute stud for the Lions and a big part the improvement to their offense during the 2022 season.
Williams racked up 1066 rushing yards in 2022 while leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 17.
Despite that impressive performance, the Detroit Lions decided to sign another NFC North running back to play alongside D’Andre Swift. Yesterday, they signed David Montgomery to a 3-year deal worth $18 million.
That contract came after Montgomery had a very disappointing 2023 season. As part of a struggling Bears offense, Montgomery averaged just 3.8 yards per carry last season.
The signing became especially surprising when the details of Williams’ new contract were released. His deal with the New Orleans Saints is for the same 3 years, but he will only be making $12 million over the course of the deal.
With that price tag and what the Lions ended up paying Montgomery, you have to wonder what exactly the disrespectful offer from the team was.
Williams’ last contract was for $3 million per year and his new deal is only a million more per year.
Did the Lions expect him to take the same deal he had previously been playing on even after topping 1K last year?
Whatever that disrespectful offer actually was, it was clearly bad enough to convince Williams he no longer wanted to be a member of the organization.