For those dreaming of "what-ifs", Caleb Williams apparently has a destination list...would return to school otherwise

[BrisbanePanther]

I didn't see this posted anywhere but thought it would be handy here rather than the draft thread while many Huddlers go through their stages of grief.

RUMOR: Caleb Williams Has List Of 5 NFL Teams He’ll Play For, Otherwise He Will Return To USC And “Make More Money” (msn.com)

So it's not clear that even if Bryce hadn't been drafted and Carolina kept the 2024 1st, he could very well Andrew Luck us. So Carolina probably had no chance with Williams anyway.

Seems that Prime has also said that Shadeur is staying in school too, so I guess some of the Huddle can get excited about the 2025 QBs? Or we can just ride the wave (while being constructively critical instead of hyperbolic) with Bryce while he works through a normal rookie campaign.

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by BrisbanePanther

[Mage]

Never say never, but I SERIOUSLY doubt Caleb Williams will return to USC.  First off, the signing bonus for his rookie contract would definitely be more than what he would make next year.  Two, it would push back a contract extension another year. 

I would believe Shadeur staying before I would Caleb and that is only because of his father.

[BrisbanePanther]

1 minute ago, Mage said:

Never say never, but I SERIOUSLY doubt Caleb Williams will return to USC.  First off, the signing bonus for his rookie contract would definitely be more than what he would make next year.  Two, it would push back a contract extension another year. 

I would believe Shadeur staying before I would Caleb and that is only because of his father.

You may be right about Caleb, but I'd guess that LA NIL money is probably substantial--and maybe enough to keep him if he doesn't like how the draft order shapes up. 

The main thing though is that he's already shown that he could play this "I'm not going there" game with teams, and we have no reason to believe Carolina wouldn't be on his no-go list...especially if the franchise is as trash as we all say it is.

[App Panther]

He's not staying. He looks like an NFL QB playing JV teams each week. 

[Mage]

7 minutes ago, BrisbanePanther said:

The main thing though is that he's already shown that he could play this "I'm not going there" game with teams, and we have no reason to believe Carolina wouldn't be on his no-go list...especially if the franchise is as trash as we all say it is.

I would be very concerned about a QB who is outright refusing to play for a group of teams.  One team?  Okay, sure.  Multiple teams?  That would just be weird and would turn me off. 

[CamWhoaaCam]

29 minutes ago, Mage said:

Never say never, but I SERIOUSLY doubt Caleb Williams will return to USC.  First off, the signing bonus for his rookie contract would definitely be more than what he would make next year.  Two, it would push back a contract extension another year. 

I would believe Shadeur staying before I would Caleb and that is only because of his father.

NIL changes everything.

 

If Chicago isn't his preferred destination he can just return to school and make 10mil in NIL money.

 

NIL is a major game changer. The elite prospects can use it as leverage especially if they don't want to go to a particular team.

[DJ feed me moore]

17 minutes ago, Mage said:

I would be very concerned about a QB who is outright refusing to play for a group of teams.  One team?  Okay, sure.  Multiple teams?  That would just be weird and would turn me off. 

the bears being that one team makes sense

[TeppersEgos]

God I wish we could have waited to draft Caleb Williams

[Proudiddy]

Caleb is good, but tbh, I'm not sure he's as surefire of a franchise guy as people think. (I still would've taken him over Bryce though)

[tukafan21]

If the Bears end up with 1-2, he’s clearly leaving to get drafted along with Harrison, would be wild.

But he’s leaving anyways, he can say what he wants now, but when it’s clear he’ll be the #1 pick he’s gone, especially if he wins the Heisman again, no reason to stay and delay the NFL payday that will dwarf NIL

[Thorrez]

I call bull****. 

The first overall pick team will always suck, that is the reason they had the worst record or had to trade enough assets to cripple themselves for years. Is he going to stay in school for 10 years until one of his five teams is in that position?

Yes, doing a Luck to avoid one franchise one time is possible. Any more than that is, well read my first sentence.

[carpanfan96]

5 hours ago, Mage said:

Never say never, but I SERIOUSLY doubt Caleb Williams will return to USC.  First off, the signing bonus for his rookie contract would definitely be more than what he would make next year.  Two, it would push back a contract extension another year. 

I would believe Shadeur staying before I would Caleb and that is only because of his father.

Nah his NIL deal is worth more yearly than an NFL rookie contract. 

 

Dude has known deals with Playstation,  United Airlines, and Dr Pepper. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by carpanfan96

[BIGH2001]

So what happens when he stays another year and the same shitty teams are still at the top of the draft?

[BrisbanePanther]

8 minutes ago, BIGH2001 said:

So what happens when he stays another year and the same shitty teams are still at the top of the draft?

He may not be thinking that far ahead...but Luck avoided coming to Carolina only to go to Indy, which may or may not have been a better landing spot--he did retire early after all.

I suspect he could pull an Eli if one of his five teams aren't in a position to draft him #1 and refuse to play for them or telegraph it by who he visits. Traditionalists would hate him and say "they'd never draft him" but there will be more than a few desperate teams who would do what it takes to draft him.