Getty Image / Ryan Kang
Former Oklahoma and USC quarterback Caleb Williams could be headed for a huge paycheck if the Chicago Bears use their #1 overall pick to take him. The total value of the #1 overall NFL Draft pick’s contract for the 2023 Draft was $41.2 million, a number that will go up this year.
That will make Caleb Williams a very wealthy man but according to a recent report from Kalyn Kahler on Caleb’s NIL earnings, he is already an extremely rich man.
The report from The Athletic puts a number to Caleb Williams’ NIL earnings that we haven’t seen before, it claims he has earned $10 million in the past two seasons alone. It said:
Between NIL money and endorsements, Caleb made millions in his final two seasons at USC, with multiple sources putting the number around $10 million. “It wasn’t like having a college quarterback on your roster,” said a source close to USC. “It was like having an NFL starting quarterback on your roster.”
While at USC, Caleb Williams inked NIL deals with United Airlines, Wendy’s, Nissan, Dr. Pepper, Postmates, and surely a few more I’m forgetting.
Previously, on3 has his NIL valuation at $2.7 million. Those numbers are based on multiple data points but we’ve seen them misinterpreted in the past. Most notably, media outlets love to incorrectly cite Arch Manning’s ‘NIL earnings’ at whatever his NIL valuation is ($2.8-$3 million) when in reality, Arch hasn’t barely taken in any NIL money at all yet.
Ultimately, the report about Caleb’s NIL earnings is fascinating because it was a long-form (great read) about his NFL potential. Nearly every mock draft out right now has Caleb going #1 to the Chicago Bears and the NFL world is eager to know more about him.
One coach at USC told The Athletic “Caleb is all about ball, his teammates and trying to win games” and that sure seem like the player everyone’s seen on the field in recent years. However, Caleb who is ‘all about ball’ has made the monumental decision to not take part in the full NFL combined this season. Caleb’s reasons for doing so, however, are extremely valid.