ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When Sylvester Williams finally put pen to paper Thursday evening, he was overcome with emotion.
He was officially a professional football player -- light years away from his time making radiators in a Missouri factory.
"When I signed the contract, I thought about the factory," Williams said. "When I was back at home a few weeks ago, I actually drove by the factory just to see where it all started. For me, that was a starting point because I realized that was a point in my life that I didn't want to return to."
He won't have to.
"Most of my family was crying because it is a life-changing moment for us," Williams said. "The biggest thing is that I've been given the money, now I've got to earn this, so I'm looking forward to being out here every day and getting better every day."
The first-round pick said he was disappointed to miss the club's opening practice of training camp Thursday morning, so he was happy to be back on the field, even if it was just for a walkthrough Thursday evening.
He said he's ready to take in his first full training camp practice Friday, as feels comfortable with his knowledge of the defense. He feels he's in good shape, as well -- he even got a workout in while the rest of his teammates practiced Thursday morning.
He's just ready to get to work, and now he has that chance.
"When I signed that contract it was an emotional moment and it was a dream come true," Williams said. "I'm playing for a great organization, great coaching staff, so being able to get in here and get that deal done and get to work as soon as possible was a big deal for me."
Now that the deal's done, Williams said he doesn't have any elaborate plans for his first big purchase.
"I'm not a flashy person, so I can say the biggest thing for me is I just want to make sure that my father is OK," Williams said. "I mean, I have a vehicle right now that runs good so I'm pretty much satisfied with my life right now. So just make sure my father's straight and put my money away and see how far this football thing will take me."
