After working to mend fences with the Lions in recent years, Calvin Johnson recently expressed his desire to offer support to one of the team’s budding receivers amid his ongoing troubles off the field.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer spent time this past week visiting Detroit’s minicamp, where he met with second-year wideout Jameson Williams. The 2022 first-round pick has been practicing with the team this offseason, though he won’t take the field until Week 7 after receiving a six-game suspension in April for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
During a radio appearance on Friday, Johnson spoke about his first time meeting with Williams and how he hopes to impact his life. The former All-Pro also praised Williams for his inspiring rookie season, which saw the 22-year-old debut in Week 13 following a lengthy recovery from a torn ACL he sustained in college.
“I connected with Jamo yesterday really for the first time, and I look forward to just being around and being a shoulder for him to lean on,” Johnson told Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket. “Extremely talented kid. We saw him when he touched the field last year for the first time. I look forward to just helping him build the level of consistency and being the pro he wants to be, man. Anything I can to do help him, I’ll do that and I’ll be there.”
As Johnson and Williams’s bond continues to grow, it’ll be interesting to see if the Lions legend becomes more involved with the club he called home for nine years. Forever known by NFL fans as “Megatron,” Johnson’s frigid relationship with Detroit has started to thaw after years of tension since the hiring of coach Dan Campbell in 2021 and the promotion of Mike Disner to COO in May 2022.
As for Williams, it remains to be seen how he will fare in his return later this fall. The ex-Alabama star finished his first season with one catch for 41 yards and a touchdown in six games played.
