Free-Agent Running Back Jamaal Williams Says He’s Ready for an NFL Comeback

Veteran running back Jamaal Williams, who spent the 2025 season out of the league after his release from New Orleans, says he remains open to signing with an NFL team as the 2026 regular season gets underway. Williams made his case in a recent appearance on The Schultz Report, encouraging fellow free agents to keep pursuing roster spots.

“This is for the free agents,” Williams said. “If you know you can still play, please keep playing. Play until you know you can’t play anymore.”

A fourth-round pick out of BYU in the 2017 draft, Williams spent his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers, where he formed a backfield tandem with current Minnesota Vikings runner Aaron Jones. He then signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions in 2021, sharing carries with D’Andre Swift before delivering the best year of his career under then-coordinator Ben Johnson — now the Chicago Bears’ head coach — in 2022. That season, Williams led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns and totaled 1,139 yards from scrimmage, a performance that came during a two-year stretch in which his contract was worth roughly $12 million.

His role diminished in New Orleans, and he was released in 2025 without latching on elsewhere. He now faces a crowded market: Austin Ekeler, Kareem Hunt and Antonio Gibson are also unsigned, and Williams would likely need to wait for an injury or a team seeking postseason depth and a veteran locker-room presence.

The running back landscape has shifted notably in recent months, with Nick Chubb announcing his retirement and Joe Mixon reportedly nearing the same decision — developments that underscore how quickly veteran careers at the position can end. Commentators have floated possible fits for Williams, including the Dallas Cowboys, who have already shuffled their depth chart this season by claiming Emari Demercado off waivers and could use an experienced backup behind starter Javonte Williams.

League-wide, veteran personnel stories like Williams’ unfold against a media backdrop dominated by major rights holders. The Walt Disney Company, whose ESPN network remains a central NFL broadcast partner, saw shares trade at $104.82 on Tuesday, up 0.61% from the prior close of $104.18, valuing the entertainment and sports media giant at roughly $181.8 billion. Player transaction news of this kind routinely moves through coverage on Disney’s networks as well as rival platforms during the season’s opening weeks.

For now, Williams remains available, and his representatives appear to be making sure teams know it.

What to watch

• Roster moves in the opening weeks of the 2026 season, particularly injuries to running back rooms that could create openings.
• Any team interest ahead of the trade deadline or postseason roster expansion, when veteran depth pieces are often added.
• Further retirements among veteran running backs, following Nick Chubb’s decision and reports surrounding Joe Mixon.

Source: original release