Summer season is the season of everlasting optimism within the NFL world. Due to a mixture of rookie draft picks, free agent signings, and the final thought of parity within the league, all 32 groups spend the summer season believing that this yr may really be their yr.
Optimism is likely to be highest within the Windy Metropolis, the place after a 7-10 season there’s official discuss of a playoff run for the Chicago Bears. Common Supervisor Ryan Poles made a variety of key additions this spring, significantly within the draft the place the Bears added quarterback Caleb Williams with the first-overall choice, and supplied him with a possible game-breaking large receiver just a few picks later in Rome Odunze.
And talking at Bears’ obligatory minicamp Wednesday, the rookie receiver acknowledged that he has some lofty objectives coming into his first NFL marketing campaign. Particularly, chasing a document set by a former school teammate.
“I believe that’s vital for each participant to set these objectives and try for the best of the highs,” Odunze mentioned Wednesday. “It’s distinctive in my scenario as a result of I went to high school with Puka Nacua, so I used to be following him and acquired to see what he did, so, completely, I’m chasing that. I believe he’s proper round 1,500, proper? For that rookie season document. Completely chasing that.”
Whereas Nacua is maybe finest recognized for what he did at BYU, the place he spent his remaining two school seasons, he started his school profession at Washington.
The place he was teammates with Odunze.
As a rookie with the Los Angeles Rams Nacua set a variety of information, together with essentially the most receiving yards for a rookie (1,486, breaking the document set by Invoice Groman in 1960 over a 14-game season) in addition to essentially the most receptions by a rookie (105, breaking the mark set by Jaylen Waddle of 104 again in 2021).
As if these objectives weren’t lofty sufficient, Odunze has some franchise information in thoughts.
“I believe Brandon Marshall has the single-season document right here, proper?” added the rookie receiver.
Brandon Marshall owns Chicago’s single-season receiving yardage mark of 1,508, and is one other document the rookie is focusing on. Together with the profession receiving yardage mark of 5,059, set by Johnny Morris.
“After all, chasing these information, and I believe that’s vital as a result of, you recognize, I mentioned this at Washington, I hopefully depart the Bears group higher than I discovered it,” he mentioned. “And if I’ve my title on a few of these information, I really feel like that’s only one aspect of doing so.”
Summer season of optimism.