Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon had some advice for the top two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze.
Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books, the newest Chicago Bears players are in the city reveling in all the love being sent their way. Many hope that this is the draft that signals a new era of winning football.
Despite having only four picks at the start of the draft, the Chicago Bears had an incredible draft. After an offseason of revamping the offense General Manager Ryan Poles added to it by drafting quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze.
The two first-round picks bring a lot of hope and excitement to Chicago Bears Nation. Those were two things in low supply after decades of mostly futile football. Poles was hired to end all of that and it seems his rebuild is on the right path.
Now the newest draft picks are the toast of the town. Soon after getting drafted, Williams’ jersey became the highest-selling in any sports’ draft aftermath. The record was recently broken by Caitlin Clark after the WNBA draft about a week before the NFL Draft. Williams quickly surpassed that record.
The players are getting the VIP treatment, touring the city. Additionally, they constantly receive messages of good luck and welcome to the city.
On their social media platforms, the Chicago Bears shared a video montage of different current and former city athletes sending messages to the draft picks. One of those players was legendary Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.
To: @CALEBcsw & @RomeOdunze
From: Chicago pic.twitter.com/hz5A3Yuu9Y— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 26, 2024
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McMahon led the Bears to their only Super Bowl victory. Many feel the 1985 Chicago Bears as one of the greatest teams ever assembled. Many fans hope something similar is happening now.
McMahon had some advice for the baby Bears.
If I could give you just one piece of advice, and that’s to play hard. If you play hard, the fans will love you. And if you happen to play hard and win it all, the fans are going to love you forever. Good luck and Bear down.
McMahon knows what he is talking about. He experienced firsthand the love Chicago Bears fans have for their players. That love is exponentially greater for the Super Bowl champion team. It’s been 38 seasons since they won it all yet many still consider them the greatest team in Chicago history.
The city has Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who won six titles in eight years (two three-peats), yet they don’t get the same love that the ’85 Bears receive. McMahon is as popular as Jordan in Chicago yet he didn’t have a Hall of Fame career and didn’t have the same accolades as Jordan.
McMahon was never one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He was a solid player, though. While he had that “Punky QB” persona and he was a wild child in his heyday, he was also a hard-working player. He did everything he could to get wins, even if it meant he had to sacrifice his body.
As a result, the fans in Chicago adore him. That adoration continued even when he went to the dark side and played for the hated Green Bay Packers. Though he played for the Cheeseheads, he still had the Chicago Bears in his heart.
At the White House appearance after a Packers’ Super Bowl win McMahon had a Chicago Bears jersey under his suit jacket.
If there is anyone who knows what Williams and Odunze are about to go through it is McMahon. Williams has a similar attitude to McMahon. He might be the city’s “Punky QB 2.0.”
Odunze has a reputation for being the hardest-working player on whatever team he has ever played. Chicago is a blue-collar city and when they see a player work hard and succeed they turn that athlete into a legend.
Other athletes to send messages were future NBA Hall of Famer and Harvey, IL native Dwyane Wade, Chicago Blackhawks rookie star Connor Bedard, and All-Star Chicago Bulls player DeMar DeRozan. However, McMahon is the one who made it to the Chicago mountaintop.
Williams and Odunze should take McMahon’s words to heart. If they do, and they help the Chicago Bears win titles, they could be bigger legends than he ever was.