It’s been nearly one year since Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze put his Sharpie® pen to paper and signed his rookie contract worth over $22 million over four years. While he was drafted No. 9 overall a few months earlier, that moment truly signified the start of Odunze’s career in the NFL, and it’s one the talented receiver reveled in while understanding it was just the first step.

“That moment is an awesome moment and something you definitely want to cherish,” Odunze said. “But you know, people sign more than one contract in the NFL, so I want to keep continuing to put that work in and continue to keep the mindset that got me to the NFL and carried me to where I want to be when I’m done with the game.”

Odunze is far from being done with his NFL career and is preparing himself for potentially a breakout season in Year 2. The Bears second-year wide receiver sat down with Bears Wire to talk about his training for the 2025 season, working with Caleb Williams and DJ Moore, what he’s learned from receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, and his partnership with Sharpie®.

Offseason break

The NFL offseason is coming to a close very soon, with training camp set to get underway in just a couple of weeks. Odunze feels ready for the final grind before the regular season begins and is in good spirits before reporting to Halas Hall.

“I feel like my off-season/break was more before OTAs started, but I got to visit family and relax,” Odunze said. “Think back on last season a little bit. But now, after OTAs, I’ve just kind of been training, building myself up for training camp so I can end the season in tip-top shape.”

That training included workout sessions with his teammates, including Caleb Williams.

“We worked out a couple times. I actually worked out with Caleb and some of the guys on Tuesday, so we got a few in,” Odunze said.

It’s just a preview of what’s to come later this month when training camp practices begin.

Partnership with Sharpie®

Odunze is already making his mark in the NFL after a solid rookie campaign, and he’s been listed as a potential breakout candidate given his talent. A big season means more notoriety, which would give Odunze plenty more autograph opportunities. Lucky for him, he’s got the right pen.

“Sharpie has helped me with my autograph game a lot,” Odunze said. “Ever since I was young, I remember signing just like a piece of paper saying, ‘This is going to be my signature when I’m famous,’ or whatever it was. I guess it kind of turned out to be true.”

Now, he’s passing the pen to rookies like Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty and Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan as they begin their respective careers.

“I’m sure they’ll have plenty of signatures to give out,” he said. “I need one of them as well…hopefully we can do a jersey swap at some point.”

Odunze will have the chance to snag a jersey and a signature from Jeanty in Week 4 when the Bears travel to Las Vegas. As for any out-of-the-box autograph requests, however, Odunze hasn’t experienced a “Ricky Bobby” moment yet. Perhaps with a big season, that will come.

“I’ve never had to sign any babies, so obviously I haven’t made enough plays yet,” he said with a laugh.

Working with the new coaching staff

More big plays are hopefully coming for Odunze as he works to get acclimated with a new coaching staff for the second season in a row. Hopes are high with Ben Johnson’s staff, though, given his sustained success with the Detroit Lions, and the staff he assembled is well rounded across all of the positions.

One of the new coaches Odunze has worked closely with is Antwaan Randle El, the wide receivers and assistant head coach. Randle El helped develop players like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams with the Lions and is a big fan of Odunze. The former Super Bowl champion receiver is making changes to Odunze’s stance and his arm usage.

“He’s big on my stance and my arm swing,” Odunze said. “He wants me swinging my arms like through every break, which I have heard before, but not to the extent that he’s talking about. And being loaded in every stance. I have a naturally kind of upright stance. So he wants me more loaded or ready to snap off the ball every single time.”

It’s not just the tweaks to Odunze’s game that are different with Randle El; it’s how he gets his points across, too.

“The way he harps on me and the way he explains it,” he said, “I feel like I hadn’t heard anybody explain it in that way and help me kind of see what he was talking about.”

As for the part of Odunze’s game that flies under the radar, he believes people are sleeping on one specific area.

“I would say my route running,” he said. “I want to be one of the nastiest route runners in the league. So I feel like I can get to that point, but I obviously need to put it on film every single game.”

Caleb’s new operation

Odunze and Williams both came to the Bears at the same time as first-round picks from the 2024 NFL draft, and they endured the same ups and downs from a difficult rookie year in which the Bears went 5-12. Going into Year 2, the receiver has already noticed a change in his quarterback.

“I think his foundation and knowledge of the league and how it kind of goes has been great for him,” Odunze said. “There’s a lot of information that gets thrown at quarterbacks at the NFL level. I think he’s just soaked in all that information from last year and is just operating in a different fashion, a different routine. I feel like those things have really helped him continue to excel. He excelled in OTAs mandatory mini camp, and I think he’ll continue to do those things in training camp.”

Growing with DJ Moore

The Bears have the potential to have a dynamic duo at the wide receiver position with Odunze and DJ Moore. The veteran receiver has already proven himself in the league, producing four seasons with 1,000 yards or more throughout his seven-year career. The two have spent plenty of time together this offseason, with Odunze volunteering at Moore’s youth camp in June and getting to know his family. Sometimes receivers don’t get along, but it sounds like Odunze and Moore have developed a great friendship.

“I think we’ve had a year to grow and kind of get to know each other, and that’s been awesome,” Odunze said. “DJ is my guy; he has a beautiful family, so just going over there and chopping it up with them and being around DJ as a whole, I think, is great for my development as a person and a player. As a younger player, hopefully I can bring him a different energy and vibe. I think we play off each other not only off the field but on the field as well. Wide receiver is a selfless job at some points, and you have to run certain things to get other people open. Do your job so that way the play works efficiently.”

There is no substitute for live game reps, however. “But those are all things that we’ve been learning and harping on; they’re best grown with live reps and getting those things worked on and looked at. So I think we’ve continued to grow our relationship on and off the field.”

Moore led the Bears last season with 98 receptions for 966 yards and six touchdowns, while Odunze had 58 receptions for 734 yards and four touchdowns. This year, Odunze wants to see both of them cross a milestone.

“We haven’t set any goals yet, but I think 1,000 yards for both of us minimum would be pretty cool.”

Best moments from the 2024 season

Almost every Bears fan wants to turn the page from the 2024 season and not go back to what transpired. It’s understandable, seeing as the team underwent a double-digit losing streak, had multiple coaches fired, and lost too many games in tragic fashion. Everyone wants to move on, but we can still acknowledge the positive moments that took place during the season.

For Odunze, two specific moments stand out.

“I liked beating the Packers, honestly, having Cairo [Santos] sink that thing through after a hard season,” Odunze said about their Week 18 victory. “That being our last game, it was definitely a big reward and a big feeling of accomplishment having gone through that adversity. So that was pretty cool. We’ll keep that going with beating the Packers.” The 24-22 win snapped the Bears’ 10-game losing streak and gave the team some confidence going into the offseason.

The other part of the 2024 season that stuck with Odunze was all of his touchdown grabs, and one of them stands above the rest.

“I like my toe-tap one against the 49ers,” he said. “That was probably my favorite.” The catch was one of the best ones Odunze made all year, even if it came in a losing effort.

Leaving a lasting legacy in Chicago

Odunze is a team-first player, always doing what is necessary on the field to ensure his team gets the win. At the same time, he has individual aspirations of becoming one of the all-time greats, both in NFL history and Bears history. Odunze made headlines last year immediately after the draft when he was shocked to learn the Bears’ all-time receiving leader, Johnny Morris, had just over 5,000 yards.

Right then, he made it a goal to break that record. Does he know where he stands a year later?

“I got 700 yards last year. Maybe 18th overall?”

Not quite, Rome. He’s currently 95th all-time in team history, trailing players such as Eggs Manske and Connie Mack Berry.

“95, that makes sense,” he said with a chuckle. “I gotta work my way up but yeah, definitely looking to go get that [record] still.”

It’s that mindset that drives Odunze to be great, and it’s something he would tell his younger self if he could go back in time and give advice as he’s signing his rookie deal.

“The dream has always been the NFL, but the dream needs to be the NFL, a gold jacket, Super Bowls, and Pro Bowls.”

It’s safe to say Bears fans would be pretty pleased with those lofty goals, and Odunze is determined to achieve them.