The NFL has hammered Detroit Lions players with fines early this season, particularly the Detroit wide receiver room. But one Lions wideout scored a major win from the league office Tuesday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams had both fines from Week 2 versus the Buffalo Bills rescinded. He will no longer need to pay a pair of fines that totaled nearly $27,000.
“Lions WR Jameson Williams won both his appeals of fines of celebrations against the Bills, as amounts of $14,926 and $11,941 were rescinded,” wrote Rapoport.
The NFL insider laid out the argument Williams used to win the case.
“On one, Williams denied his ‘brief gesture’ was offensive and argued ‘that marijuana is legal in some states if that was the gesture he was making,'” added Rapoport.
“Appeals officer Derrick Brooks wrote, ‘Although I rescinded this fine, please make every effort to celebrate with your teammates in the best professional manner possible.'”
Williams was one of six Lions players to receive fines from the Week 2 contest against the Bills. In total, the NFL fined the team 10 times during that week.
Williams and fellow Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown combined to account for six of them.
NFL Rescinds Week 2 Fines for Lions WR Jameson Williams
There has been no word yet on whether the NFL will also rescind the fines levied on St. Brown from Week 2. The leading Lions wideout received four fines for the same infraction, which the NFL classified as “unsportsmanlike conduct for illegal celebrations and vulgar acts.”
St. Brown celebrated during that game in a similar fashion as Williams did.
“All four fines were classified as unsportsmanlike conduct related to celebrations he had in the matchup, with the wideout appearing to mimic smoking after catching passes,” wrote SI on Lions’ Christian Booher.
With that in mind, one would logically conclude St. Brown could also get his fines revoked. But presumably, the league office is still reviewing St. Brown’s appeal.
Meanwhile, Williams received great news to begin the bye week that he won’t have to cough up almost $27,000.
The first fine Williams received for “illegal celebrations and vulgar acts” was set to cost him $14,926. The second fell under the “taunting” category. That one was going to be $11,941.
Williams also received a fine in Week 3 for “use of the helmet” for unnecessary roughness. The league fined Williams $23,417 for that act, which was the third-most expensive fine from Week 3.
The Lions receiver will still pay that one.
Williams started the 2026 campaign slowly, but he’s come on over the last few weeks. In Week 4 versus the Carolina Panthers, he had his first 100-yard game of 2026 with six catches and 102 receiving yards. Williams had just two catches in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, but both of those receptions were touchdowns.
The fifth-year wideout enters the bye this week with 18 receptions, 276 receiving yards and two scores this season.
NFL Takes Surprising U-Turn on Lions’ Jameson Williams Fines: Report