"I'm going to keep doing it. It's unique to me," the Chicago Bears quarterback said of continuing to wear manicured nails while suiting up for NFL games
Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears looks on prior to the NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Solider Field on January 4, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.; A detail photo of Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears finger nails painted with "The 1" during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 7, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears and his manicured nails.
Caleb Williams opened up about his decision to wear nail polish during NFL games when speaking on 'The Rush Podcast with Maxx Crosby'
The Chicago Bears quarterback explained where his manicured tradition began and why he will continue to do it despite what critics think of him
He said he gives "no f----" about the trolls and has "no issue" responding to them
Caleb Williams is making more than just a fashion statement.
The Chicago Bears quarterback, 24, has turned heads for wearing nail polish since being drafted in 2024, and recently shared a message to his critics who are against the manicure move while opening up about the reason behind why he does it.
Williams recalled painting his nails for the first time when he was dating a girl who would get hers done but said the tradition "stemmed from" his mom, who's a nail technician.
A detail view of Quarterback Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears nails prior to an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, at Soldier Field on September 8, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.; A detailed view of Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears nails before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Solider Field on September 8, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
A detail view of Quarterback Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears nails prior to an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, at Soldier Field on September 8, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.; A detailed view of Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears nails before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Solider Field on September 8, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
"One day I was with one of my exes and we were going to the nail salon," he said on The Rush Podcast with host and fellow NFL star Maxx Crosby, released on Tuesday, Feb. 17, noting that she suggested he get his done, too.
Unfazed by the idea, the Bears QB agreed.
"I know who I am," he said on the show of why he decided to get his nails painted that day.
"And so I did it and it ended up becoming three nails, four nails, five, six... and at a certain point, I was actually doing it because you can't write stuff on your tape. You can't do all that stuff," he said. "So I was doing 'F--- Texas,' with the horns down symbol... I was, like, trolling."
"I enjoy trolling. I do," he said with a laugh, though he said he has to "be careful with it now."
Still, Williams said he has "no issue" calling out critics if he has to but opts to respond in a "smart" way. "Somebody needs to check 'em, some of these guys. You know, all the analysts and stuff. I'll check 'em. I have no issue."
A detail of the icicle painted fingernails of Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears prior to an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A detail of the icicle painted fingernails of Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears prior to an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Trolling aside, the NFL star said that he also painted his nails as a "motivational" tactic, but now he opts for "cool designs" and "supportive things" for causes close to his heart.
"I've done mental health number on them and suicide prevention number on it," he rattled off of the nail art he's chosen in the past. "I've done breast cancer awareness, it's just like wearing pink cleats and a pink headband."
"It's just gel on my nails," he continued. "People feel a certain way about it in a masculine sport. I give no f---- to be honest with you, I could care less."
Williams, who has to follow a strict dress code with uniform restrictions and guidelines enforced in the NFL, enjoys the way nail polish allows him to "embrace" and "show love" to a variety of things that mean something to him.
He made clear: "I'm going to keep doing it. It's unique to me."
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Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears warms up before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Solider Field on September 8, 2025
Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears warms up before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Solider Field on September 8, 2025
In September, Williams went to a nail technician referred to him by WNBA star Angel Reese for a manicure that the NFL star sported in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football.
"Love this. My nail tech really wanted to do his nails & she KILLED it!" Reese wrote on X and reposted photos of the Bears quarterback and his manicure, inspired by World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10.
She added that she was "so proud" of her technician for working on the Bears star, whose manicure included multicolored nails featuring the official suicide prevention logo and the numbers 988, for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
In 2023, Williams remained confident about his nail art despite ridicule from online trolls.
“I think the nails thing kind of took everybody by surprise,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “I've been doing it before college, but it took everybody by surprise, just because you don't always see male athletes who play football paint their nails. But I think it's just another way of expression.”