Rome Odunze welcomes pressure of high expectations for 2025 Bears

Last year’s Chicago Bears carried plenty of buzz into the season, thanks in large part to a pair top-10 rookies in quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze, but a disjointed coaching staff and a roster that still had too many holes led to a rocky 2024 campaign.

Now armed with a new coaching staff led by head coach Ben Johnson, the Bears are once again garnering plenty of national attention, with many national outlets and analysts leaning toward Chicago as a sneaky pick to make the playoffs.

Odunze knows the expectations are high for his team heading into the 2025 season, but he’s not shying away from the pressure that comes along with the hype:

Odunze showed flashes of his lofty potential during his rookie season, but he’s primed for even bigger things in Johnson’s dynamic offensive scheme in 2025, especially as Williams continues to develop and improve his game. Johnson’s creative play-calling should help the offense take a massive step forward after last year’s unit struggled to find consistency all season long.

Elsewhere on the roster, the Bears were aggressive this offseason in bringing in veteran improvements on both sides of the ball, and the 2025 NFL Draft brought them even more explosive playmakers for the offense in tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III.

The NFC North is expected to be among the toughest divisions in the NFL in 2025, which could make it difficult for the Bears to live up to the high expectations they’re carrying into the season. But if Odunze’s words are any representation of the rest of the locker room, the Bears won’t be shying away from the pressure.