Antonio Williams isn’t wasting any time acting like a pro with his first NFL paycheck.
The Washington Commanders rookie wide receiver, who has been one of the standouts in training camp, used his rookie contract to make a move that fits the moment and the money: he bought a home about 10 minutes away from the Commanders’ facility. Williams, a third-round pick this year, is still fighting for a role in a receiver room that already has Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin locked into starting jobs, but his first major purchase says plenty about how he’s approaching the transition.
“My first big purchase was a home about 10 minutes away from the [Commanders'] facility. I'm not a big spender.
I feel that was a good investment. No cars, nothing crazy, man.
I didn't want to make any dumb decisions.”
That mindset makes sense for a player who already had some experience handling money through his Name, Image, & Image deal with Nike while at Clemson. Even if his rookie contract doesn’t come with the kind of payday reserved for first-round picks, it’s still a significant step up, and Williams appears intent on treating it like one.
The broader picture is familiar around the league: plenty of young players now enter the NFL with some exposure to real money thanks to NIL, and many of them are learning early that the first big purchase doesn’t have to be flashy. For Williams, it was a house. For now, that’s the only splurge he’s made - and he seems perfectly fine keeping it that way.
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