Jonathan Owens is back at NFL training camp for the Chicago Bears after taking a short break to support his wife, Simone Biles, at the 2024 Paris Olympics and has already fired off a zinger directed at his former Green Bay Packers team.
Owens returned to the practice field for the Bears on August 3 after the team allowed him to miss five days in order to travel to Paris and cheer on his wife at the Olympics. He signed a two-year, $4.05 million with the Bears in March and projects to start the 2024 season as their No. 3 safety behind starters Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker.
Upon his return, though, a fan in the stands at August 4’s practice asked Owens about his 2023 team — the Packers — and whether he missed playing for them now that he has crossed the NFC North rivalry lines and moved to Chicago. His response — according to David Peters Jr. of Next Wave Ball — should endear him to the Bears fan base.
Absolutely not,” Owens responded, via Peters’ post on X about the interaction.
Jonathan Owens Calls Bears ‘1st-Class Organization’
Owens will naturally earn some goodwill with Bears fans for throwing shade at their least favorite NFC North rival organization, but the 29-year-old’s comments might be more simply rooted in how the Bears have treated him in his short time on the roster.
Owens did not have the opportunity to support Biles — widely considered the greatest gymnast of all time — during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions but became determined to do so for the Paris Olympics this time around. The trick was getting the NFL team that just signed him as a free agent to permit him to leave camp.
