When the Green Bay Packers decided to re-sign running back Aaron Jones to a lucrative contract just before the start of free agency last spring, it officially marked the end of Jamaal Williams’ time in Green Bay. A favorite inside the team’s locker room and among the fanbase, Williams moved on to Detroit this offseason, signing a two-year contract with the Lions.

The early returns on the signing were very positive after Week 1. He caught a career-high tying eight passes for 56 yards, and added nine carries for 54 yards and a touchdown. Now, he’ll return to Lambeau Field to face his former team on Monday night.

“It’s the same old Jamal that you saw when he was playing for us,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “You can see it in the game Sunday versus San Francisco, just competing to the best of his ability and getting tough yards and bringing a lot of energy and juice. I’m sure he will be fired up to come in here and play.”

Williams was a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and averaged more than 700 yards from scrimmage in all four of his seasons. But after the Packers re-signed Jones and had drafted AJ Dillon in 2020, Williams was expendable. He was asked by Detroit reporters this week whether it was difficult to leave Green Bay.

“(Shoot), it ain’t hard for them to say bye,” Williams said, according to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. “Y’all act like I left on my own, golly. I didn’t do it. Shoot, if I could have stayed, I would’ve stayed.

“They didn’t want me, like that ex-girlfriend. Glad that I got a rebound, it was the Lions and they treat me good. You know what I mean? Now they’re feeding me good, taking me to dinners. Another man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

Williams is definitely not considered trash by those he left behind in Green Bay, especially quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He talked throughout Williams’ time with the Packers about the impact he made on the field, the energy he brought and his unique personality. Rodgers spoke about his former teammate again Thursday.

“I have a lot of love and affection for Jamaal,” Rodgers said. “He’s such a special, special guy, adds so much to the locker room, so much energy to game day. He’s one of those guys (where) there’s a gaping hole in certain areas when you lose a guy like that. You can’t just fill it up with one person.”

LaFleur says Rodgers’ sentiments on Williams ring true up and down the roster.

“He’s a guy that I got a lot of respect for, a lot of love for,” LaFleur said. “I think if you ask everybody in that locker room, everybody respects him. But you know, he’s the opponent on Monday night, so there’s not going to be a lot of love during the game.”