It's a big week for the Green Bay Packers because Friday will mark the start of this summer's training camp practices. The Packers' newest rookie class will report to Lambeau Field on July 18 before the team's veterans enter the mix four days later, highlighting just how close the league is to the 2025 regular season.
As exciting as it is to know meaningful football is just over the horizon, it isn't sunshine and rainbows for everyone. Plenty of unsigned veterans are still struggling to find new NFL homes after free agency opened in March, including one ex-Packers running back who's stuck in the unemployment line.
Former Packers RB Jamaal Williams is Still Unemployed Before Training Camp
The Packers have been fortunate to have been blessed with plenty of talented RBs throughout their history, with Josh Jacobs being the latest name to lead the backfield. Another one of those names is Jamaal Williams, who's struggled to put pen to paper regarding a new contract this summer.
Williams, 30, has remained unsigned after his contract with the New Orleans Saints expired at the end of the 2024 campaign. It was the least productive campaign of the ex-BYU product's career, as he finished with personal-low performances regarding scrimmage yards per touch (3.9) and rushing yards per game (11.7).
Although his 62.3 offense grade on Pro Football Focus was an improvement over his 2023 effort (59.4), it was still his second-worst showing in the last seven seasons. In other words, it's becoming clearer that Williams' career is nearing closer to the end than the beginning, especially if his decline accelerates.
Williams was drafted 134th overall by the Packers in 2017 following a solid career at BYU. The Rialto, CA native was a reliable backfield presence throughout his four-year run in Green Bay, often splitting duties with Aaron Jones as one of the NFL's top RB tandems. During his stint, Williams amassed 1,985 rushing yards on 500 carries and 961 receiving yards on 122 catches, all while scoring 18 total touchdowns.
Since leaving Green Bay during the 2021 offseason, Williams has spent the last four campaigns with the Saints and Detroit Lions. His best performance during that stretch came with the Lions in 2022, when he paced the NFL with 17 rushing TDs while setting career-highs in carries (262) and yards (1,066). Much to his dismay, that performance was an outlier rather than the rule.
Whether or not this is the end of the line for his career, Williams has plenty of accomplishments worth being proud of. Not only has he amassed 1,256 touches, 5,432 scrimmage yards, and 40 total TDs throughout his NFL run, but he's also made over $19.3 million in career earnings, per Spotrac, giving him more than enough money to live a comfortable post-retirement life.
With how quickly rosters are filling up across the league, it'll be interesting to see if an opportunity will emerge for the former Packers RB before it's too late.