The Chicago Bears’ rookie class is officially checked into Halas Hall for the start of training camp, but, No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has yet to put pen to paper on his rookie contract.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there’s one specific and unique snag in Williams’ negotiations with the Bears.
Citing multiple league sources, Florio reports that Williams asked the Bears to include a no-franchise tag clause, which Chicago declined to do.
Williams may face an uphill battle to getting that kind of security from the Bears, especially with camp set to open and the fact that he is one of the last remaining draft picks across the NFL to have signed his contract.
“Although multiple veteran players have secured such a commitment (e.g., Dak Prescott),” Florio writes for PFT. “No rookie has finagled a promise that they won’t be tagged. Williams arguably had the leverage to accomplish it.
“The best time to use that leverage would have been before the draft. Prior to the adoption of the rookie wage scale in 2011, teams with the first overall pick would often negotiate with multiple players before the draft, hoping to entice one of them to agree to terms. Nowadays, with top prospects bringing bank accounts stuffed with NIL cash to the NFL, someone like Williams could say, for example, drop the franchise tag or I won’t play for you. And, if you draft me, I’ll sit out the entire season and re-enter the draft next year.”
It is certainly understandable why Williams would want to have some sort of assurance that he wouldn’t be subject to the franchise tag, because it inevitably delays his chance to reach free agency by one season.
Meanwhile, the Bears understandably seem to be holding the line because the tag is an easy tool for teams to maintain control over a player they may not be able to come to a financial accord with or feel ready to commit to long-term at the end of the rookie deal.
The no-tag clause may be the last hurdle to Williams signing his contract and getting on the field with his teammates. Williams’ rookie contract will pay him upwards of $39 million, fully guaranteed over the next four years while also including a fifth-year option.
