Wide receiver Rome Odunze has only been a member of the Chicago Bears for a day, but he’s already learning about the team’s history and records. It’s safe to say he wasn’t prepared for how low some of them are.
In an interview on 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel Show, Odunze learned who the team’s all-time leading receiver was and how many yards they had. The 21-year-old receiver guessed it was Brandon Marshall, who spent three years in Chicago and is No. 13 on the list. It’s safe to say he didn’t expect the answer to be Johnny Morris with 5,059 yards.
“In the career?!” Odunze exclaimed as he and the hosts laughed. He immediately took that as a challenge, though. “I hope I’ll go break that record and hopefully add a few thousand to that… 5,000 is the goal, then. Let’s get after it.”
The incredible moment in which @DannyParkins and @MattSpiegel670 informed a surprised Rome Odunze about the Bears' all-time receiving record.
Listen to Odunze's full interview: https://t.co/kGm8J0YfQD https://t.co/jPFvjPGTh9 pic.twitter.com/t7rh7DPaso
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) April 26, 2024
For Bears fans, it’s no secret that the team has struggled to develop and maintain prolific wide receivers. Productive players like Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Allen Robinson were only around for a few years, and former Bears receiver Muhsin Muhammad infamously said that Chicago was where receivers go to die. Morris played in the 1950s and 1960s, and his receiving record is the lowest of any all-time team leader in the league.
Odunze was shocked at the ineptitude of the position but is prepared to change and make history within the organization. Here’s hoping he’s around long enough to break the record and provide the Bears offense with a consistent and dangerous receiving threat for many years to come.