Getty Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens (left) and wife Simone Biles (right).
The Chicago Bears added safety Jonathan Owens to the secondary on March 12, after which his wife and famous gymnast Simone Biles took to social media.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist posted a mostly harmless dig at the smaller market Green Bay Packers, for which Owens played during the 2023 season.
I’m so excited about not having a connecting flight to go & see my husband hahahahaaha
“I’m so excited about not having a connecting flight to go & see my husband hahahahaha,” Biles posted to X.
A Green Bay fan remarked on the post with a comment telling Biles to “…be respectful now,” to which she responded with the following remark:
“I will always respect Green Bay & the Packers!” Biles wrote. “It just made it difficult (connecting flights) because I was training haha.”
Jonathan Owens Signed Most Lucrative Contract of Career With Bears After Best Professional Season
GettyFormer Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens returns a fumble for a touchdown during an NFL game against the Detroit Lions in November 2023.
Biles’ comment was hardly incendiary, though it was of note given the long-standing rivalry between the Bears and Packers franchises. As such, so was Owens’ departure from Green Bay and arrival in Chicago.
The Bears signed the 28-year-old Owens to a two-year contract worth $4.5 million. It is by far the most lucrative deal of the safety’s six-year NFL career, over which time he has pocketed a total of $3.25 million across stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans and the Packers. Green Bay signed Owens to a one-year deal worth $1.01 million in 2023.
Owens earned his latest contract on the strength of his best professional campaign. According to Pro Football Reference, he posted 84 tackles to go along with 3 pass breakups, 1.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovered fumble and 1 defensive touchdown.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) rated Owens as an above-average pass rusher for the position and an average coverage safety across 774 total defensive snaps. He was also around average in run defense and missed a total of 7 tackles, according to the website.
Owens appeared in all 17 regular-season games for the Packers last season and made 11 starts, allowing 22 catches on 33 total targets, per PFF.
Bears Have Made 2 Other Signings in Secondary Over Past Week
GettySafety Kevin Byard, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, signed with the Chicago Bears in March 2023.
Owens is a solid addition to the Bears’ secondary, but his signing pales in comparison to a couple others the team has made in recent days.
Chicago added two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, most recently of the Philadelphia Eagles, at the beginning of free agency. Byard inked a two-year contract worth a total of $15 million to join the Bears’ defense.
Byard will fill the hole left by long-time starter Eddie Jackson, who the Bears cut this offseason in favor of saving roughly $12.5 million against the 2024 salary cap.
Chicago’s other big-time deal involved cornerback Jaylon Johnson, a second-round pick of the Bears in 2020 who has played his entire career with the team. Chicago initially applied the franchise tag to Johnson last week to prevent him from reaching unrestricted free agency, before ultimately signing him to a four-year contract worth $76 million.
PFF rated Johnson the best cornerback in football last season, and he will now be a member of the Bears for the foreseeable future.