Tuesday was supposed to be a momentous day at Chicago Bears headquarters.
With the Hard Knocks cameras apparently in the building, the Bears officially signed 2024 top-10 pick Rome Odunze to his rookie contract. They followed that by locking in No. 1 overall selection Caleb Williams, the hopeful future face of the franchise. Those are two fantastic moments to document for NFL Films … right?
READ MORE: The Giants had a crystallizing moment with Caleb Williams
Well, the Bears are seemingly still working through things with Williams. Why? He’s not afraid to challenge the status quo of NFL contract conventions right away.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio in a Wednesday radio hit on Chicago’s 670 The Score, Williams has not officially signed on the dotted line because he wants the Bears to never use the franchise tag on him. That is quite the concession to ask of any NFL team, who traditionally love having that tool in their back pocket even if it’ll never be used:
Mike Florio tells @dan_bernstein & @leilarahimi on @670TheScore that he's been told there was an effort made to get the #Bears to agree NOT to use the franchise tag on Caleb Williams after he finishes the fifth year of his contract, and that did not go anywhere.
— Bernstein & Holmes Show (@BernsyHolmes) July 17, 2024
Williams’ small battle with the Bears is more about the principle.
If the rookie quarterback reaches his star potential, the franchise tag will never come into the conversation. Chicago will back up a Brinks Truck for the generational talent long before his rookie deal is up, and Williams will likely sign without hesitation like every other great signal caller.
With that said, good for Williams to make a stand about this.
As a rookie, he never had a say in the NFL’s implementation of the franchise tag, which can be incredibly restrictive of a player’s career and financial freedom. Asking a team already building its future around you to nix out the tag in writing before you join the organization is the only real leverage someone like Williams has. And he knows it. He’d also be the first NFL rookie ever to secure such a critical provision, making this battle a big deal for future young players.
After all, one could easily argue the Bears need Williams much more than he needs them. So, if I were the Bears, I would just let him have this win and make that history.
This little setback doesn’t appear to mean Williams will hold out or anything. He will probably be an official Bear any moment now. But it’s still worth noting that he was willing to fight this tag battle in a manner few NFL players probably even consider.
UPDATE: Williams officially signed his rookie contract with the Bears on Wednesday afternoon. At the time of this writing, it is unclear if the franchise tag provision is in his deal.
Done deal. pic.twitter.com/BCJswKcfgf
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 17, 2024
