Joel Klatt: Caleb Williams has to think long term, not NIL money

Joel Klatt knows that Caleb Williams has a lot to consider. But if the FOX Sports analyst were in his shoes, he would think long term.

In an appearance on The Herd, Klatt said he hopes Williams isn’t easily swayed by a big NIL pay check.

“You have to be able to see past a foot in front of your face, which is hard sometimes,” he said. “In particular when you’re talking about something life-changing like a million or two dollars. I don’t know exactly the figures being thrown out for Caleb Williams. This is wild speculation on my part. I would say he’s worth maybe ($2 million) because he is a proven commodity rather than a high school player. …However, if I was Caleb Williams, don’t you have to look past that immediate sum of money and into the future of what your potential earnings can be based on where and who you play for?

“Look at what Baker has been doing now. Career earnings. Kyler Murray. Career earnings. What Jalen Hurts is going to be doing. Career earnings. That far surpasses some $2 million payday for two years at Georgia or Auburn. They don’t have the track record of putting quarterbacks recently in the NFL where they can have that success that you’ve seen with Baker, you’ve seen with Jalen and certainly at Arizona with Kyler Murray.”

Williams announced on Jan. 3 that he would enter the transfer portal after spending his first collegiate season at Oklahoma. He took over as the starting quarterback halfway through the season to finish with 1,912 yards passing and 27 total touchdowns as OU closed the year with an 11-2 record.

Since his announcement, Williams has already seen some high-figure offers. With visits to USC and UCLA upcoming, he will likely have many more as well. The No. 1 player in the 2021 class according to On3, the quarterback will likely have many suitors.

But Joel Klatt hopes that Caleb Williams won’t let money control his decision. Instead, he hopes the quarterback ends up at the school that can help him be the most equipped for the next level of football.

And with that, an even bigger paycheck will come.

“For Caleb Williams, it might not just be about the money he’s going to receive in this NIL cycle as much as it is, ‘Where can I go develop so that I can be the best prospect, maximize my draft value and get to the second contract in the NFL?'” Klatt said. “Because remember, when Caleb Williams gets to the NFL, they’re gonna be in the new television deal. He can get to a second contract at the quarterback position for $300 million or more easy. These contracts that we are about to see for quarterbacks are about to be (between $50-75 million) annually.