Report: Bears declined Caleb Williams’ request to nix franchise tag possibility

Reports began to surface Tuesday that the Chicago Bears had signed No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams to his rookie contract, but it looks like that process still hasn’t crossed the finish line.

Appearing on 670 The Score in Chicago, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that Williams asked for a provision in his contract that would prevent the Bears from using the franchise tag to keep him after his rookie deal expires, but that request was denied (via ESPN senior NFL writer Kalyn Kahler).

That being the case, it looks like things still aren’t official between Williams and the Bears just yet:

interesting update from @ProFootballTalk on the @670TheScore: Florio said that Caleb’s team asked the Bears to agree to not use the franchise tag on him (they did not agree) and that as of now, he has not signed, but contract is in hand and they are going over final language.

— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) July 17, 2024

This shouldn’t be a huge issue, and Williams will likely still sign his rookie deal at some point before training camp officially opens later this month. But it’s at least intriguing that the Heisman Trophy winner tried to use his leverage to add a new wrinkle to his deal for the future.