Caleb Williams, who made $10 million through NIL deals in college, claims making money is not his motivation behind playing football
USC quarterback before the 2024 NFL Draft claimed money isn’t his primary motivation for playing football.
Ever since LeBron James initiated the trend of NCAA athletes signing sponsorship deals, many have gone on to bag several lucrative packages even before making the jump to the big leagues. One such individual is Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans.
But not everyone gets the same treatment. Only those who have the spotlight over them in the college game are considered valuable enough to secure a NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal.
Williams is undeniably one of the best quarterback prospects in a long time. While donning the famous red and gold of USC, the dynamic QB has amassed an impressive 93 passing TDs and thrown for 9,782 yards.
Projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams’ best performance came during the 2022 college football season. That season, he had 42 touchdowns en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and being named the best player in college football.
It was a matter of time before endorsement deals started to hound him left, right, and center. But as per the 22-year-old, the NIL money doesn’t interest him in the slightest; rather, his primary focus is to become the best football player.
In a recent chat with ESPN‘s Pete Thamel, Williams revealed that he watched countless videos of Michael Jordan and Walter Payton. He wants to leave a legacy similar to that of both the greats.
As the saying goes, the legends live on. That’s my goal in playing football. It’s not money, and it’s not fame. It’s to be immortal. I want to reach that sense of being a legend. Having a rightful seat through hard work, energy, and time, I’ve put into this game that we all love.
Williams told Thamel
INSPIRATIONAL: Caleb Williams says he plays football to be a LEGEND not for the money or fame.
“As the saying goes, the legends live on. That's my goal of playing football — it's not money, it's not fame… it's to be immortal. I want to reach that sense of being a legend”
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 29, 2024
How much did Caleb Williams earn through NIL deals?
As per several reports, Williams is set to end up with the Chicago Bears, even though that’s not one of his desirable destinations. But that doesn’t mean he will not benefit from joining the Bears. On top of earning 2.5 times more from NIL, he will also inherit a young, talented squad with a few tweaks in key positions.
Southern California quarterback CALEB WILLIAMS (13) starts his walk toward the locker room after an NCAA, College League (Image via IMAGO)
But the question is, how much did he earn while playing college? As per The Athletic’s Kalyn Kahler, Caleb Williams has made close to $10 million in the NIL era of college football. Some of his sponsors include big brands like Dr. Pepper and Wendy’s.
Caleb was gettin' 💰MONEY💰 through NIL and his endorsements pic.twitter.com/XdB66NKHcz
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) February 29, 2024
There are even rumors that, after becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Williams will earn at least double. For context, in 2023, No. 1 pick Bryce Young was making $9.4 from his contract alone. But as a whole, he bagged a whopping $24.6 million signing bonus from the Carolina Panthers.
