Jedd Fisch took the podium this afternoon to share all things about Washington football. It could be considered one of his better press conferences, as he spoke candidly and addressed all the topics surrounding Washington football. From Demond Williams Jr. to the transfer portal and his spending strategy in it. However, there's one comment he made that will cause you to do a double-take.
He said he hopes the Demond Williams Jr. fiasco helps push the college narrative toward "contracts matter." He went so far as to say, for everyone, coaches and players, "it starts with head coaches." Did Jedd Fisch say that? Do we have a new version of Fisch?
Jedd Fisch: We need to make sure contracts matter, and that starts with head coaches.
— Lars Hanson (@LarsHanson) January 14, 2026
Jedd Fisch is taking a strong stance on player and coach contracts and enforcing them
Related: Demond Williams Jr. is setting a wrong right after untimely transfer post
Fisch isn't exactly known for his loyalty to a specific program or even a region of the United States. He has been a coach at 17 different places across college and the NFL in all pockets of the country. In the span of about 12 years, he had 10 different jobs. There's a bit of the pot calling the kettle black here in terms of "contracts matter." And yet, it does seem like he's thought a lot about this since Williams Jr. tried to bail. Coaches having to set the standard is now part of his thinking.
His full quote is more revealing of where his head is at now and how he views his current job as the Husky head football coach:
"We need to make sure contracts matter. That starts with the head coaches contracts and all the way through. In pro football, no head coach can go leave for another head coach in the NFL. That can't happen. I believe we should start looking at ways to slow down that movement. I think after that, we shouldn't be able to conduct any interviews until the season's over. I think that will really help because if we send the right message as head coaches, then players will learn our message. If we're out there and our names are being thrown around and all these other coaches are always talking about movement, then how do we tell these kids that, oh, our contracts aren't as important as your contracts. "Jedd Fisch
He goes on to explain why buyouts are included in contracts and that, if a player or coach wants to move on before their contract is up, they have to pay for it. He is crying for regulation and signing the participation agreement.
While Fisch may not be known for his loyalty, he's smart enough to recognize where the problem started and why coaches need to be better role models for players on contracts. If players are going to be paid like coaches, they need mentors to guide them and help them understand how important a contract is and how hard it is to get out of one. Those mentors are the head coaches.
College football's Wild Wild West has seemingly unlocked a different side of Jedd Fisch. Does this mean that he will forever be the coach at Washington? Probably not, but he does seem like a coach who will honor the terms of a contract and teach his players to do the same.