Caleb Williams on contract negotiations, preseason mentality |
LAKE FOREST, I.L. - For the first time since 2021, the Chicago Bears are going into training camp with a rookie quarterback poised to become the starter. The difference between Justin Fields in 2021 and Caleb Williams this season is that Williams is the undeniable starter, while Fields did not start right away.
Part of the benefit for Williams in this approach is that he is getting the reps with the starting lineup and against Chicago’s elite starting defense. However, with Williams being thrown in right away as the starter, he is also poised to have many rookie moments. “I understand it’s year one. There’s going to be times it’s going to be tough, times it’s going to be good and tough times, you keep going. Good times, you also keep going,” Williams said. “Progression is key, and keep doing that over time, and I’ll be able to reach the goals at the end of my career, and we can reach the goal at the end of the year as a team.” One thing about the Heisman winner that not a lot of players can say is that he is comfortable in his own skin. He has faced media scrutiny long before becoming an NFL quarterback, in part because of his unique personality. Some may have perceived him as cocky. But in reality, Williams is his own worst critic. “Being tough on myself, but also having an understanding of where we are and where I am and the progression, like I said before, is key and those bad times, it’s not a time to have self-doubt. That’s just a waste of time,” Williams said. “It’s a time to keep growing, keep progressing, and keep believing in yourself.” A trend in the NFL is for some players to represent themselves in contract negotiations. Williams is one of those players. There was some concern his contract would not be in place prior to the beginning of training camp. However, on Wednesday, July 17, he signed a four-year, $39,486,058 fully guaranteed contract with a signing bonus of over $25 million and a fifth-year option available. Part of the holdup reportedly was Williams’ request to get paid as a limited liability company (LLC). If Williams were to be paid as an LLC, his contract would not be taxable under Illinois income tax filing requirements. According to Mike Florio, the NFL stated that a player’s money could only go to a player and thus could not go to an LLC. From this unique experience, Williams says he learned a lot, and he can use that knowledge to negotiate future contracts. “I definitely learned a lot throughout this process for the next upcoming ones and things like that,” Williams said. “So, really excited. Can’t wait to get it going, really appreciative of everybody.” Now that Williams has signed his contract, everyone’s attention turns to his performance in training camp and how much he will be playing during Chicago’s four preseason games, including the Hall of Fame game on Thurs. Aug. 1 against the Houston Texans (7 p.m./ABC) who they will also play during week two of the regular season in the Bears’ first primetime regular season game on Sun. Sept. 15 (7:20 p.m./NBC). Because of Chicago’s elite defense, practice against them is just as valuable to Williams as the preseason reps. “Practice here is just as valuable as those moments and so, making sure I’m not looking forward to preseason and those preseason games and I’m focused on playing versus the Chicago Bears defense right now and then when those moments come, take those moments just as valuable as practice.”
