The Chicago Bears won a wild 47-42 game over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, but second-year receiver Rome Odunze was shut out of the box score, catching zero passes on three targets.
After the contest, Odunze's father, James, took to social media to suggest the Bears should trade his son to a team that would "actually throw to him" and noted that Rome, in his opinion, should be seeing "at least 10 targets per game."
Rome Odunze brushed aside his father's comments, noting that he's comfortable with his role, even if he doesn't always put up big numbers every week.
"I don't make a big deal out of it," the 23-year-old said, per ESPN. "Obviously, he has his opinions, and I have mine. And he feels like he needs to voice those things on social media. That's his prerogative. But he speaks for himself. I speak for myself."
Odunze leads the Bears with 59 targets, 473 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns. He's tied with Olamide Zaccheaus with 31 receptions and averages seven targets per game. Perhaps the Bears could funnel more to the second-year receiver, but he's clearly the top target in the offense at this point.
"Oh, man. I'm happy," Odunze said. "I'm just trying to do my job within this organization as a leader, as a person, as an individual and then as a football player. So, trying to excel at a Hall of Fame level in those aspects. That's all I'm focused on."
James Odunze is the second father of a second-year receiver to call out his son's usage in recent weeks. Ahead of Week 9, Marvin Harrison Sr. teed off on how the Cardinals used his son – Marvin Harrison Jr., who then caught a career-high seven passes last week
Fathers having their sons' backs is nothing new. Odell Beckham's father famously took the Browns to task for how they used the wideout.
The key is that it doesn't seem to bother Rome, nor affect how he approaches every week.
"Like I say, he has his opinions, and at the end of the day, he's a Rome fan," the wideout said. "He's in full support of Rome Odunze. So, that's first and foremost for him. But I love my pops."
The 5-3 Bears face the 2-7 New York Giants on Sunday. Big Blue allows the sixth-most receiving yards in the NFL through Week 9 and the fourth-most yards to wide receivers.
