Why does Caleb Williams paint his nails? Chicago Bears QB’s powerful tribute to ‘inspirational’ mother
Caleb Williams and his nails have been a talking point ever since he stepped on the field for his rookie year.
The Chicago Bears quarterback, who was the No.1 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, struggled to live up to expectations in his first season.
Thrown in as starter on Week 1, Williams played all 17 games and finished a rough season — which saw head coach Matt Eberflus fired — with a 5-12 record.
But Bears fans — and Williams — have enjoyed a much better 2025.
Chicago brought in first-year head coach Ben Johnson at the start of the season, who has guided the Bears to an 11-6 record, the No. 2 seed in the NFC, their first playoff appearance since 2021.
Williams, who had a passer rating of 90.1 with 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 17 games this season, will now take on the No. 7 Green Bay Packers.
It will be the sophomore signal caller’s first playoff appearance, with the game set for Soldier Field on Saturday on wildcard weekend.
Why does Williams paint his nails?
The 24-year-old has been seen sporting painted nails long before entering the NFL, and it became something of a tradition on game days back in college.
Williams paints his nails to represent his mother, who worked as a nail technician for his entire life.
He has also said that he enjoys being a fashion trend-setter.
“It started, I would say, three years ago,” Williams said of his nails in 2023.
“It was my last year of high school.
“My mom does nails. Let’s just start it off there. She’s done it my whole life. It’s just kind of always been around me.
“Nobody else does it. I just kinda like to do new things.”
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Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson have been a blessing for the Bears, who captured an NFC North that featured all four teams posting winning records.
Williams can make his name in Chicago even bigger by taking care of business vs the Packers at Soldier Field.
Before making his first start in the NFL last year, Williams confirmed his painted nails wouldn’t be going anywhere.
He told Pardon My Take in 2024: “I’m going to do it again this year.
“I haven’t done it for practice, I try to do for games — regular season and playoffs — I’ve been doing it so long now.
“I’m trying to keep good-spirited things on my nails.
“It does fire me up but I can use other things to fire me up too.”
Indeed, Williams was seen with painted nails throughout his rookie year.
Fast-forward to Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, and he caught the eye once again.
What did Williams have on his nails against the Vikings?
The second-year star led the Bears into a prime time match-up with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, September 8.
In front of a national audience, Williams carried a very important message on his nails.
He had ‘988’ painted on for Chicago’s opener, the number for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, with World Suicide Prevention Day falling on September 10.
By carrying the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number on his nails, Williams was able to make an impact both on and off the field in Week 1.
That continued throughout the season as Williams went from strength to strength.
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If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here 988lifeline.org
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