Rome Odunze and Caleb Williams were projected to become the Chicago Bears’ next star quarterback-receiver duo. Instead, the connection faded badly after a promising start to the 2025 season.
NFL analyst Daniel Kelly believes Williams is dragging Odunze’s career down with him. He ripped the Bears quarterback on X, suggesting that Odunze should already be looking for a way out of Chicago.
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“I’m surprised Rome Odunze hasn’t requested a trade from the Bears,” Kelly wrote.
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Kelly pointed to Williams’ struggles operating within timing-based NFL offenses.
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“I can’t imagine any wide receiver in the NFL wanting to play with Caleb Williams with his erratic footwork and broken internal clock,” he said.
Williams averaged 3.2 seconds to throw in 2025. He has the second-slowest mark in the NFL behind only Shedeur Sanders at 3.24.
Odunze’s numbers have taken a major hit. He posted catch rates of 70% in 2022 and 64% in 2023 in college, but that dropped to 56.3% in 2024 and 50.6% in 2025 with the Bears.
“It’s got to be so frustrating to be a wide receiver on the Bears,” Kelly added.
Williams’ criticism grew louder when Kelly compared his stats to the 2024 season, when many believe the Bears had a worse offensive line. However, Williams managed to get the ball out in 2.92 seconds under Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron.
Caleb Williams embroiled in trademark fight with NBA legend George Gervin
The Bears QB landed in an unexpected offseason battle with NBA legend George Gervin over a trademark fight for the “Iceman” nickname. Caleb Williams filed four trademark applications on March 16, tied to “Iceman.” This includes a logo and silhouettes from his game-winning throw to Rome Odunze in Chicago’s playoff victory over Green Bay.
However, Gervin responded with trademark filings of his own for “Iceman” and “Iceman 44.”
The NBA Hall of Famer has carried the nickname throughout his career with the Spurs and believes the title belongs to him.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for [Williams],” Gervin said in an interview with Sun-Times. “But that name is taken. … All I’m saying is: Young fella, we’ve already got one ‘Iceman.’”
Williams earned the nickname after leading the Bears to the top of the NFC North and the divisional round of the 2025 playoffs with multiple late-game heroics.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office will now decide who gets the right to profit from the name.
Edited by Prasen
