Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams started his NFL career with painted nails.

The No. 1 overall pick displayed his special mani pedi for his pro debut, with orange coloring and blue lettering: “#18 DA BEARS.” The NFL, in a cool show of support, posted a picture of Williams and his nails on its X account Sunday prior to kick-off.

Williams, 22, has been painting his nails since he was in high school. He says the tradition brings him closer to his mom.

“My mom was my inspiration,” he said. “I would always sit around or just you know, either I’m playing my game or I’ll mess my mom, I still mess my mom a lot. So I was playing my game, messing with my mom and kind of just sitting there she’d always do my nails. I didn’t get paint on him, but she’d always do ’em.” 

The Heisman Trophy winner is one of multiple Gen Z athletes who defies gender norms. Earlier this year, Williams was spotted taking in a women’s NCAA basketball game with pink nails… with a pink phone, pink wallet and pink lip gloss to match.

His self-expression triggered a visceral response among homophobic NFL fans and analysts. He was compared to Prince (the horror) and derided as too soft to ever succeed in the NFL.

On Sunday, those same insults popped up again.

“Yeah, this is the softest player in the NFL to date,” some mouth-breather posted.

“Matching Dress?,” added another.

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It’s quite funny, and hypocritical, that “masc-obsessed” NFL fans embrace painting their faces and chests in their favorite teams’ colors, but draw the line at fingernails. It’s almost as if gender norms are completely arbitrary and nonsensical!

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It’s apparent that Williams expresses himself through his nail polish, and the messages that he writes. He’s painted his nails with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, as well as taunts directed towards opposing teams. One of the biggest wins of his college career came in October 2022, when he accounted for four touchdowns in USC’s statement win over Notre Dame.

During the affair, fans noticed that Williams’ nails represented his intentions. They said, “F— NDXX.”

At the NFL Draft in April, Williams told reporters he’s unapologetically himself, because he loves himself. It’s a queer-coded mantra that we can fully get behind.

“When I look into the mirror when I wake up around 7:00 a.m., I know who that guy is. I love that guy. I treat that guy with respect, just like I do any other human around me,” he said. 

“And that goes a long way for myself. That’s why I am who I am, I do what I do, and I treat myself the way that I do. I know who that guy is. I love that guy, and I’m going to treat that guy as if he’s somebody else who just met me, or is one of my best friends. That’s why I’m so unapologetic about who I am.”

With a full head of confidence, Williams won his NFL debut, becoming the first rookie QB taken with the No. 1 overall pick to accomplish that feat in 22 years. The Bears ousted the Tennessee Titans 24-17, complete with a 21-0 run in the second half.

Though Williams didn’t play great–he went 14-of-29 for 93 yards–he didn’t turn the ball over and kept the Bears competitive. That’s more than a lot of rookie pass-throwers can say in their first NFL starts.

After three straight losing seasons, it may not be the easiest rebuild in Chicago. But the Bears have a QB1 who’s sure of himself, and unconcerned with any atavistic haters.

Perhaps his nails will embody another special theme next week. We’ll just have to wait and see!

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