USC quarterback Caleb Williams created a buzz earlier this week when news broke that he decided he was not going to hire an agent for the NFL draft.
It was shocking and not shocking news at the same time. However, more information has come out as to why he made that decision and it creates a potential red flag.
A report from The Athletic stated that Caleb’s father, Carl, challenged several potential agents to see if they could find loopholes in the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the player’s union. He did not get an answer he liked.
“The decision to not hire an agent was equally calculated. Carl (Caleb’s father) challenged several potential representatives to find loopholes in the collective bargaining agreement between the league and player’s union, but the answers he received were unsatisfying.”
This leads you to believe that Williams was definitely looking for a way to have an ownership stake in a team.
NFL rules prohibit teams from offering current players ownership stakes as part of contracts, so the plan did not have an opportunity to get off the ground.
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Williams has been the presumed No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft for more than a year. No one questions his ability on the field, but his father is noteworthy since making headlines last year when he hinted at Caleb returning to USC if he was unhappy with the team that landed the No. 1 pick.
“The funky thing about the NFL draft process is, he’d almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first. The system is completely backwards,” Carl Williams told Sam Schube of GQ. “The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation. The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league — because of their desire for parity — gets the first pick. So it’s the gift and the curse.”
The fallout of that interview led to Carl Williams avoiding speaking to the media for months.
Caleb Williams calmed concerns when he stated he would be thrilled to play for the Bears.
Williams is coming off a solid season for USC, despite the troubles that the team as a whole had. He threw for 3,633 yards with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions on the year.
