Full details of Caleb Williams' Bears contract finally revealed
By Ryan Heckman
On Tuesday, Chicago Bears fans received a bit of premature, false hope in a report that Caleb Williams had signed his rookie contract. We had gone weeks upon weeks watching and reading speculation as to when he'd sign and why it has taken so long. Leave it to the pundits to try and rile the fan base up over nothing, right?
As it turned out, Wednesday morning, reports confirmed Williams did not yet sign. It was a weird, whirlwind of a 24 hours. However, there was nothing to worry about, as the end was near.
Wednesday, Williams and the Bears made it "officially official" as the rookie passer put pen to paper.
It's a done deal.
Now final, and fully agreed to: The #Bears have a deal with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, per source. pic.twitter.com/SDTkjQSSn9
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 17, 2024
The full terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, although the latest report via CBS Sports said Williams was signing a 4-year deal worth $39 million -- all fully guaranteed. Of course, it includes a fifth-year team option, as usual, for first-round picks.
Full year-by-year rookie contract details for Caleb Williams
Details provided via Spotrac
Year | Base Salary | Signing Bonus | Roster Bonus | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | $795,000 | $6,384,283 | - | $7,179,283 |
2025 | $960,000 | $6,384,283 | $1,629,821 | $8,974,104 |
2026 | $1,075,000 | $6,384,283 | $3,309,642 | 10,768,925 |
2027 | $1,190,000 | $6,384,283 | $4,989,463 | $12,563,746 |
2028 | Team Option | - | - | - |
The wait, though, is finally over. Williams and his fellow first-round rookie, Rome Odunze, have put the contract sagas behind them both. Now, it's on to training camp.
Caleb Williams attempted to make NFL history before officially signing his rookie contract
After the news of Williams' contract was official, it was determined that Williams did, indeed, ask the Bears include a clause which would lead Chicago to waive a potential franchise tag in the future. Unsurprisingly, the Bears declined to agree to such an ask.
Had the Bears agreed to Williams' desire, he would have become the first rookie, ever, to have such a clause in his first contract. It was worth a shot, at least, even though it didn't happen. Williams took his shot.
This does go to show just how serious Williams is about his business. And, if he's this serious about his business, it would lead one to believe he is just as serious about playing football for the Chicago Bears. He didn't want to take the chance of playing on a one-year deal. Instead, he wants long-term security with Chicago.
Hopefully, Bears fans will never have to worry about Williams not receiving long-term security from the team. That also insinuates that Williams will be as good as advertised, which fans are hoping for as well.
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