Caleb Williams: NFL Draft and NIL Considerations

As you may or may not have heard, there have been rumors circulating that Caleb Williams is actively telling the Chicago Bears that he does not want to play there. Now, there is no guarantee that the Bears are moving away from Justin Fields, but the idea of a draft prospect dictating where they will and will not play really got me thinking…are we ok with players dictating this to NFL teams? We have seen some examples of this in the past, including John Elway and Eli Manning. I won’t lie, in hindsight, it worked out damn well for them, but something about it just doesn’t sit right with me.

Now granted, when I go to work each day, I am not putting my body on the line. In fact, some days the most strenuous thing I do is try not to shit myself at work after eating 12 hot wings for lunch. But I know one thing, if I had the skills to play a game for a living, I would go wherever I was wanted. Maybe that’s it. Maybe it feels like a slap in the face to those of us who grew up with dreams of playing pro sports. I don’t know. It just feels…dirty.

Now some may say, “well you get to choose where you work.” True. But I also haven’t declared for a voluntary draft. Everyone learns quickly in school how picking teams goes. Captains hold the power in school and owners and GMs hold it in the NFL. When you have the ability that someone like Caleb Williams has, people are going to want you on their team. And they are going to pay you handsomely to play, no matter where it is. Be grateful you get to play a game you love for a living, all while securing financial freedom for the rest of your life? Food for thought.

I think it also opens other questions. Will this become a more common occurrence in today’s day and age? With the NIL phenomenon sweeping across all college sports, players, especially star players, have more options. For Christ’s sake, Caleb Williams has been living in a penthouse LA apartment the past two years. Odds are he is already making seven figures a year playing at USC. Pretty damn comfortable lifestyle. Obviously in football nothing comes without risk but sticking around college another year and waiting for a potential better landing spot, or maybe less depth at your position to naturally increase your draft value. I could see it happening. Man, I mean just imagine being in college with all that money?!

I guess at the end of the day, as a fan, I want a guy who wants to be there. I want a competitor who wants to compete at the highest level against the best competition in the world. I want a guy who thinks his shit doesn’t stink. A guy who believes that no matter how terrible a franchise has been or currently is that he is the guy who will turn it all around. Remember, a warrior doesn’t need a weapon. A warrior is the weapon. So, if he doesn’t wanna be there, get that extra draft capital and go find yourself some warriors.