NFL CAREER – Signed by the Saints as an unrestricted free agent from Detroit in 2023 after originally being selected by Green Bay in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Williams has appeared in 103 games with 44 starts, posting career totals of 1,021 carries for 3,958 yards and 31 touchdowns, while adding 178 receptions for 1,253 receiving yards and eight scores. After battling a hamstring injury suffered in Week Two that forced him to be placed on Injured Reserve for four contests, finished with 306 yards rushing and one touchdown to go along with 18 receptions for 62 yards. A sound ballcarrier, he went 752 career touches before fumbling the ball and became the league's first active running back to reach 600 carries before fumbling.
TRANSACTIONS – Activated by New Orleans from Injured Reserve, 10/19/23; Placed by New Orleans on Injured Reserve, 9/23/23; Signed to a three-year contract by the New Orleans Saints (UFA-Det.), 3/17/23; Signed by the Detroit Lions to a two-year contract (UFA-GB), 3/17/21; Signed by Green Bay to a four-year contract, 6/1/17; Selected in the fourth round (134th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
HONORS – 2022: Offensive Player of the Week (Week 18); FedEx Ground Player of the Week (Weeks 11 and 17).
2023 – Appeared in 13 contests with four starts for the Saints, totaling 306 yards on 106 attempts with a score and adding 18 receptions for 62 yards…Vs. Tennessee, Sept. 10, started the season opener and recorded 45 rushing yards on 18 carries to go along with two receptions for seven yards…Added 29 yards rushing in Monday night win at Carolina, Sept. 18. Suffered hamstring injury, causing him to be placed on Injured Reserve, missing four contests…After being activated day before, recorded 30 yards on six carries (5.0 avg) and an eight-yard catch in win at Indianapolis, Oct. 29…Posted 11 attempts for 43 yards in win vs Carolina, Dec. 10…Recorded season-highs in carries (19), rushing yards (58) and receptions (four) in win at Tampa Bay, Dec. 31…In season finale victory vs. Atlanta, 1/7/24, Williams posted 26 rushing yards and a touchdown, as well as three grabs for eight yards. 2022 – Played in 17 games with nine starts for Lions, recording 262 attempts for 1,066 yards and NFL-best and franchise-record 17 touchdowns, adding on 12 receptions for 73 yards. Had ten rushing TDs that came from exactly one yard out, tied for third-most in NFL history…Vs. Seattle, Oct. 2, started and recorded 19 attempts for 108 yards (5.7 avg.) and two TDs and a one-yard reception…At N.Y. Giants, Nov. 20, started and had 17 attempts for 64 yards and career-high three TDs…Vs. Buffalo, Nov. 24, rushed 18 times for 66 yards and a TD, giving him tenth consecutive game with at least 50 rushing yards, a career-best streak and the longest active streak in NFL…Vs. Chicago, 1/1/23, started and attempted 22 times for a career-high 144 yards (6.6 avg.) and one TD with a career-long of 58 yards, while adding one 13-yard reception to finish with career-best 157 total yards from scrimmage…At Green Bay, 1/8/23, started and finished with 16 attempts for 72 yards and two TDs. The multi-rushing touchdown game was his sixth of the season, as he surpassed Barry Sanders to hold the new team record while becoming only the third player in the NFL to have six multi-rushing touchdown games in the last ten years. 2021 – Played in 13 games with 11 starts for Lions as he finished with 153 attempts for 601 yards and three TDs, adding on 26 receptions for 157 yards. Williams ranked fifth among NFL running backs with 27.5% of his rushes resulting in first downs…Vs. San Francisco, Sept. 12, started and carried nine times for 54 yards (6.0 avg.) and one touchdown, catching eight throws for 56 yards. Became first Lions running back since 2014 to tally 50 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and one TD in a game…Vs. Baltimore, Sept. 26, started and rushed 12 times for 42 yards and a TD, adding two grabs for 25 yards…At Chicago, Oct. 3, started and rushed 14 times for 66 yards (4.7 avg.)…Vs. Minnesota, Dec. 5, started and posted 17 carries for 71 yards, adding a nine-yard reception…At Atlanta, Dec. 26, started and had season-highs of 19 carries for 77 yards. 2020 – Played in 14 games with three starts in final season for Packers, rushing 119 times for 505 yards and two touchdowns while tacking on 31 receptions for 236 yards and a TD…Vs. Detroit, Sept. 20, finished with eight attempts for 63 yards (7.9 avg.)…At Houston, Oct. 25, recorded 19 attempts for a season-high 77 rushing yards and one TD and added four receptions for 37 yards for 114 total yards from scrimmage…Vs. Minnesota, Nov. 1, rushed 16 times for 75 yards and added six receptions for 27 yards to notch his second consecutive performance with 100+ total yards from scrimmage…Vs. Chicago, Nov. 30, finished with 17 rushes for 73 yards and one TD…In NFC Divisional Playoff win vs. L.A. Rams, 1/16/21, carried 12 times for 65 yards (5.4 avg.). 2019 – Played in 14 games with two starts for Green Bay, totaling 107 attempts for 460 yards and one touchdown as well as 39 receptions for 253 yards and five TDs…Vs. Lions, Oct. 15, recorded 14 attempts for season-high 104 yards and added four receptions for 32 yards and a TD…At Kansas City, Oct. 28, recorded both a rushing and receiving TD in 31-24 road victory. 2018 – Played in 16 games with eight starts for Packers, finishing with 121 attempts for 464 yards and three touchdowns and catching 27 passes for 210 yards…Vs. Vikings, Sept. 16, rushed for 59 yards on a season-high 16 attempts…At N.Y. Jets, Dec. 23, rushed for a season-high 95 yards with a TD on 15 attempts (6.3 avg.) and had six receptions for 61 yards for 156 total yards from scrimmage. 2017 – Started in seven of the 16 games he appeared in for Green Bay, rushing 153 times for 556 yards and four touchdowns while adding 25 receptions for 262 yards and two TDs…Vs. Lions, Nov. 7, scored first career TD on only rush and added two receptions for 31 yards…At Steelers, Nov. 27, recorded first career multi-touchdown game with a rushing TD and a receiving TD. Finished with 21 attempts for 66 yards and four receptions for 69 yards (17.3 avg.)…Vs. Tampa Bay, Nov. 27, rushed 21 times for 113 yards (5.4 avg.) and one TD, adding two receptions for ten yards. Marked first 100-yard rushing game.
COLLEGE – Played four seasons at BYU (2012-14, 2016), starting in 34 of 42 games he appeared in. Left as the program's all-time leader in rushing yards (3,901), rushing attempts (726) and 100-yard rushing games (16). Became the fourth player in school history to register multiple 1,000 yard rushing seasons. His 35 rushing touchdowns rank third in school history and his 4,468 all-purpose yards rank fifth.
PERSONAL – Starred at Summit (Fontana, Calif.) HS, where he helped team to a CIF division title. As a senior, earned first-team all-league and first-team All-CIF honors after rushing for 1,252 yards and 22 TDs on 141 carries (8.9 avg.)...Cousin Victor Butler played linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys (2009-12), Saints (2013) and Indianapolis Colts (2014)…Mother Nicolle was a sprinter at UCLA...An anime fan…In 2023 offseason, established the Jamaal Williams Foundation-a new non-profit founded to provide financial and community support to assist in youth development and help meet the needs of those facing food insecurities, wearing designed shoes to publicize the foundation in the team's "My Cause My Cleats" game…His foundation's first fundraising event took place in 2023, a live stream event with the voice actor behind Naruto Azumaki to raise money…Interacted with fans at the 2023 New Orleans Saints Draft Crawfish Cook-off, which benefited several Autism-related non-profits.
