Thus far, the relationship between the Chicago Bears and top draft pick Caleb Williams has been a great one, as the Bears have brought in numerous weapons for him on offense. However, the relationship may change a bit after a request from Williams’ for his rookie contract was denied.
Williams officially agreed to terms on his rookie deal, a four-year contract that will net him a total of $39 million over the duration of the deal. However, what will not be included in the deal is a clause that Williams reportedly wanted.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Williams attempted to have a clause included in his contract that would make it so the Bears could not franchise tag him after his rookie deal came to an end. The request, which has never before been included in a rookie deal in NFL history, was denied by the Bears.
This could explain why it took the two sides so long to come to a deal. Ultimately, it seems like Williams and his camp ended up being the ones who caved.
Ultimately, the clause doesn’t seem like it was a real deal-breaker for Williams. If it was, Williams would still be holding out.
However, this could become an issue down the line if the Bears do indeed decide to franchise tag him down the line. Obviously, Williams is already looking ahead to receiving a big contract extension with the organization.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.