This story has only been around the Detroit Lions for less than a week and it has already become old.

As much as the fanbase and NFL media loved him as a whole, Jamaal Williams is no longer a member of the Lions. The Saints felt more comfortable paying out. That's where it ends.

Free agency can be ruthless at times. Good players get cut. Fan favorites don't get re-signed. The entire game is a business, and people getting caught up on the emotion of the Jamaal Williams departure (including Williams himself) are creating something larger than it actually is.

While the final numbers haven't emerged yet, Williams has been very vocal on the topic of his most recent offer from the Lions, an offer that he apparently saw as 'disrespectful.'

Jamaal Williams felt like the Lions were done with him.

"The offer they gave me, I feel like was very just disrespectful and just showing they really didn't want me to really be there," he said at his Saints press conference. pic.twitter.com/HtBPmvUy5M

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) March 17, 2023

Without those numbers, it is hard to tell how true this statement is, but it is also worth noting that Williams' deal with the Saints is very much on par with what he got from Detroit two seasons ago.

Williams was able to get more than half of his two-year deal with the Lions guaranteed, and the same thing happened with his three-year deal with the Saints.

Four million dollars per year with the Saints is a step up from three million per year with the Lions for a guy that has been a backup for most of his career, but it is hard to imagine that the Lions would offer so much less than their initial deal to Williams that it could ever be misconstrued as 'disrespect.'

Still, the money isn't even the biggest part of this equation. Williams put together a great season and was a very fun part of the culture, but acting like you can count on a season like that every year, especially from a touchdown standpoint, is silly.

Seventeen touchdowns is remarkable, and getting over the 1,000-yard mark is a great achievement, but no one on the planet should argue that Williams is a better back than David Montgomery or more consistent.

Montgomery is younger than Williams, has experienced more success, and has found this success without one of the best offensive lines in the league like Williams had during his breakout.

Even Williams' biggest fans have to see this move as a slight improvement.

It might hurt, and it might hurt for a while to see a guy leave that did have a hand in improving the culture for the team, but continuing this story as a true slight or a mistake by the Lions is a total waste of time.

Jamaal Williams isn't the first veteran leader to leave a team during a franchise-wide rise and he won't be the last one, either.

The Lions and their fanbase would be better-served focusing on their bright future in 2023.