After taking a brief hiatus to assist his wife Simone Biles at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Jonathan Owens is back at NFL training camp for the Chicago Bears.
He has already unleashed a zinger aimed at his previous Green Bay Packers club.
On August 3, Owens made his comeback to the Bears’ practice field after the team granted him permission to take a five-day leave to accompany his wife to the Olympics in Paris.
He projected to start the 2024 season as the Bears’ No. 3 safety behind starters Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker after signing a two-year, $4.05 million contract in March.
But after he returned, a supporter in the stands during practice on August 4 questioned Owens about his 2023 team, the Packers, and if he missed playing for them now that he had relocated to Chicago and crossed the NFC North rivalry lines. According to David Peters Jr. of Next Wave Ball, his response ought to win over the Bears supporters.
Owens replied, “Absolutely not,” in response to Peters’ X post about the exchange
Jonathan Owens Refers to the Bears as a “First-Class Organisation”
Although Owens’ remarks against the Bears’ least favourite NFC North rival team will undoubtedly win him some favour with Bears supporters, it’s possible that the 29-year-old was more motivated by how the Bears have handled him during his brief tenure with the team.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, Owens was unable to assist Biles, who is regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, he was determined to accompany Biles in the Paris Olympics this time. Getting the NFL team, who had recently signed him as a free agent, to allow him to leave camp was the tricky part.
On July 25, right before leaving for France, Owens told reporters, “It was simply something me and my agent talked about when we went in and signed with the [Bears].” We simply approached them and said, ‘We would greatly value it if he could accompany his spouse.
Bears obliged without much ado
Owens remarked, “They were pretty cool about it, man.” This organisation is of the highest calibre. I simply want to express my gratitude to them for letting me come over and take care of that.
When it came to the Bears, Owens did not really miss anything. On Monday, July 29, he had a practice before boarding a plane to Paris on July 30 to witness Biles and her American teammates participate in the women’s team finals. Before returning home, Owens stayed to witness Biles win the gold medal in the women’s all-around final on August 1.
Just three Bears practices were missed by Owens while he was overseas, including the split session that preceded the team’s NFL Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans. As a six-year veteran, Owens shouldn’t have to spend much time compensating for practice missed.
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