Caleb Williams’ rookie contract with the Chicago Bears is nearly complete. Some reports have indicated that the No. 1 overall pick’s deal is complete, while others have suggested the two sides still have a few details to work out.
Either way, Williams will soon officially join the NFC North franchise. However, the USC product’s negotiations with the Bears weren’t lacking in intrigue.
With so much leverage on his side as one of the NFL Draft’s most compelling prospects in recent memory, Williams asked Chicago for something extra in his rookie contract — a no-franchise tag clause.
Editor’s note: Williams and the Bears officially agreed on his rookie contract on Tuesday afternoon.
Caleb Williams Requested No-Franchise Tag Clause From Bears
The Bears denied Williams’ appeal for a no-franchise tag addendum, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Tuesday.
No rookie has ever been granted an assurance that they wouldn’t be tagged following the conclusion of their initial NFL contract. Veteran players — such as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott — have received no-tag clauses, but no first-year player has been given such a commitment.
The NFL’s 2011 collective bargaining agreement made rookie contract negotiations a breeze by assigning slotted values to each draft pick. With every rookie deal essentially standardized, rookie holdouts have largely become a thing of the past.
As such, Williams’ contract is already set in stone. According to Over the Cap‘s projections, he should ultimately sign a fully guaranteed four-year, $39.5 million deal with a $25.5 million signing bonus and a fifth-year option for 2028.
However, certain aspects of a rookie’s contract can be negotiated. Players, agents, and clubs have haggled on conditions like scheduled or signing bonus payments or offset language, but Williams’ no-tag request is a first.
Quarterbacks rarely play the franchise tag game in the NFL. Most teams prefer to extend their signal-callers as early as possible, creating cost certainty while eliminating the need to use the tender.
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Still, several high-profile quarterbacks have been tagged recently. The Baltimore Ravens franchised Lamar Jackson before giving him a new contract in 2023. Prescott, Drew Brees, and Kirk Cousins (twice) received the tag before landing new deals.
As Florio notes, Williams could have exerted more leverage had he made this request public before the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams could have theoretically told NFL teams he wouldn’t play for them — or even threatened to return to USC — without a no-tag clause in his contract.
But now that the Bears control his rights, there’s no reason for general manager Ryan Poles to give in. Rival teams around the league probably wouldn’t have been pleased if Chicago had set a new precedent by handing Williams a no-tag commitment.
Technically, the Bears can hang onto Williams through 2030 without ever extending him: four-year contract, fifth-year option, and two franchise tags.
However, this discussion will likely be moot. If he thrives over his first three pro campaigns, the Bears will be chomping at the bit to extend Williams’ contract. If he doesn’t, the franchise tag won’t be in play anyway.