Ben Johnson
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GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 07: Head coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears looks on during the first half against the Green Bay Packers at State Farm Stadium on December 07, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have built a strong young corps of playmakers, most of whom are fully healthy heading into mandatory minicamp this week, though wide receiver Rome Odunze is the one quasi-exception.
Odunze suffered a stress fracture in his foot during the second half of last season, which cost him five games down the stretch. He returned for the playoffs, but managed just four receptions for 88 yards on 12 targets across Chicago’s two postseason contests.
The third-year wideout and former No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft spoke about the consequences of his foot issues and subsequent recovery, some of which he is still feeling more than six months later.
“This is my new normal. And it’s not from a standpoint that I’m always in pain, but the way my foot broke [there are] callouses in there that like creates a different type of foot structure with those bones — different types of things that kind of shift things around,” Odunze explained, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
“So my new normal was kind of what I am going into,” Odunze continued. “And I don’t think that’s anything that’s going to prohibit me from making plays, but I feel like with the break, it’s just like when you tear your [ACL]. It’s never really back to normal.”
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GettyChicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Immediate reaction to Odunze’s comments from fans, and media members alike, was not great. After a few days to digest, Harrison Graham of “Chicago Bears Now” on Monday, June 8 dove into whether the team should be perpetually concerned moving forward.
“He’s been out there, he’s been participating, it sounds like he’s looked good — for the most part,” Graham said. “It’s just, some of those comments … I’m not 10 out of 10 on the panic level. It sounds like he’s moving around fine, looks good. But I am a little bit concerned about Rome Odunze, probably on a longterm status than a short-term.”
“It’s just these foot injuries man,” Graham continued. “When you’re talking about the preciseness of having to be a route runner, making cuts, doing this and that — you just wonder if this is going to be something that lingers moving forward.”
Bears Have Extra Time on Rome Odunze’s Rookie Contract to Gauge Injury Impact
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GettyChicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze.
The Bears have some safety net built in given Odunze’s contract structure over the next few campaigns.
He currently has two years remaining on his $23 million rookie deal, plus a fifth-year team option in 2028, which Chicago will have to decide whether to exercise by May 1, 2027.
Thus, Odunze is cost-controlled through his age-26 campaign, and the Bears get another full year of information on his health status and production before deciding on what will be the most expensive of Odunze’s first five seasons in the league in 2028.
The league has yet to calculate the exact figure the team will owe him for that year, however, and won’t do so until after play in 2026 concludes.
Chicago won’t have to concern itself at all with a big Odunze extension for at least two more offseasons, which should also provide the team with a clear picture of what his foot injury and its implications will look like longterm.
Odunze caught 44 passes for 661 yards and six TDs across 12 games played in 2025, which equates to 62 receptions, 936 yards and eight scores over a full season.