The Chicago Bears did not get the season they wanted under rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, as the team fell to a 5-12 record. However, there is a lot to be excited about regarding the team, especially in upcoming second-year receiver Rome Odunze.
Odunze shined in his first season after being drafted by the Bears out of Washington. He put together a rookie campaign of 734 yards and three touchdowns.
Odunze is aiming much higher in his second season, especially behind the excitement of former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson taking over as head coach. Odunze sat down with Newsweek Sports to discuss his partnership with Sharpie, along with his loft goals for 2025.
Tell me about your partnership with Sharpie.
"Yeah, my partnership with Sharpie. I'm going on a year two now. So, you know, last year, I feel like it was kind of an honor to be a part of it. I'm coming up on my anniversary of my contract signing, which I did with Sharpie s jail. So, you know, I would, I know we got the rookies coming up, and they're, you know, all nervous about their position, and their contract signings and doing all that. So hopefully they got a S-gel on them to make it all go smoothly. But, yeah, you know, it's been great working with them. Coming up in year two, you know, just trying to continue making my mark."
What was the biggest change for you in the first year in the NFL?
"Honestly, I just learned a lot. It was a year of learning, like, foundation building. I feel like, you know, obviously the NFL is a whole different, you know, thing than college football and a whole different setting, whole different team, so just kind of getting used to those things, I feel like, was the biggest takeaway from it all, and just gaining my bearings for, like, how to operate at the NFL level and how to, you know, conduct myself, out the locker room with what I need to be doing when I need to be doing this."
What would you say was your "Welcome to the NFL moment?"
"My 'Welcome to NFL' moment was my first ever catch. It was a tipped ball off a D lineman that Caleb threw, which got popped up in the air. I jumped up and caught it over some linebacker. And I was like, 'Oh, that was nasty'. And then as soon as I touched the ground, I got smacked and fumbled the ball. So, yeah, that was versus the Titans. My first ever catch. So my first ever catch to my 'welcome to NFL moment.'"
How are you preparing for your second year in the NFL?
"I'm just, you know, training, training tough, training consistently, and getting in my playbook, really, and learning new offense with Ben Johnson. So just staying on top of those things is like the my number one right now really don't have any number two, it's just focusing all in on those things. So just being consistent with it and getting ready for for camp."
What was it like first meeting Ben Johnson? And how have you what have you learned so far from him?
"You know, first time meeting them, he was, you know, excited about, you know, his new opportunity, and was excited about the opportunity to be able to work with all of us and the weapons we had within that team. And it's been great working with them. You know, he's very detailed and very orientated in that, you know, fashion. So, you know, he doesn't let anything slip. And I think that, you know, it's great for me and great for a lot of the guys, you know, holding us accountable to a certain standard, and you know, getting on us when we need to be, you know, corrected, and those different things. So I think that all that stuff kind of allows us to grow and understand that, you know, it's not personal and you know, play for the person next to us."
You and Caleb Williams became starters as rookies, you know, and everyone was talking, expecting you both to be the next Tom Brady and Brandon Marshall, right from the jump. Was that ever a kind of distraction for you and your rookie season?
"No, not really. I mean, obviously, you know, we have set expectations for ourselves that are higher than you know anybody could set for us. So, you know, we're reaching towards those goals. We're reaching towards those aspirations. So, you know, it is something that we definitely think about. And when we're working out and we're trying to get better and we're trying to, you know, be the best versions of ourselves for this team, it's something that we think about. But when it comes to the comparisons to other players, and I don't think we necessarily think about all that."
How has your evolution in chemistry improved with Caleb since last season?
"I think it's improved greatly. You know, I thought we had a great showing in OTAs and mandatory minicamp. And just, you know, learn efrom ach other under, you know, this, this new offense, and, you know, learning different spots. And, you know, of course, Caleb's incredible ability to scramble and improvise when plays break down. So we've connected on a few of those. So I think all those plays and reps continue to help us build chemistry."
What are your personal goals for this season? Whether it's 1000 yards, you know, Pro Bowl, All-Pro?
"I definitely want to at least 1000 yards. I gotta, still gotta get all my numbers in order with exactly what I want to do. So those are, those are going to be, you know, out there soon before training camp. But yeah, I want to make the Pro Bowl, All-Pro as well, and then, you know, obviously making a deep run in the playoffs will be my number one."
To watch the entire interview, watch the video above.
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