Caleb Williams has never shied away from being himself. The Chicago Bears quarterback, known for his expressive personality and unapologetic individuality, has long been open about his love for painting his nails before games.
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It’s something he’s been doing since high school, and something he’s never felt the need to explain beyond one simple truth: it makes him feel like himself and closer to his mother.
“It started, I would say, three years ago,” Williams once said in an interview with USC Athletics. “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,” he added.
Even still, Caleb’s nails once again became a social media talking point this weekend. Before Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints, fans noticed that the Bears QB was sporting a new and unusually vibrant nail paint combination: green on his thumb, pink on his pinky, and a mix of bright colors on the three middle fingers.
Within minutes, images from the matchup began circulating across social media, and so did the opinions.
While very, very few fans admired the creative flair, others — as always — chose to mock the quarterback’s individuality, with one viral post reading, “Maybe this is why he fumbles the ball so damn much, he’s too worried about ruining his painted nails.”
Maybe this is why he fumbles the ball so dam much, he’s too worried about ruining his painted nails
— Billionaire (@PackersGOATS) October 19, 2025
“He only wants to look pretty when he wins football games,” joked one. “That rainbow sh*t worked,” sarcastically chimed in another.
Why sarcastically?
Well, the timing of the online chatter also coincided with what was statistically Williams’ worst game of the season. Against the Saints, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick completed just 15 of 26 passes for 172 yards, threw one interception, and failed to record a single touchdown for the first time since last year.
His passer rating of 61.7 was the lowest of his career too, as the Bears defense and running game carried the team to their fourth consecutive win.
That said, those who’ve followed Caleb Williams since his days at USC know that this sort of criticism isn’t new and nor does it ever seem to affect him. His colorful nails have become symbolic of the same creative confidence that defines his playing style: daring, improvisational, and unafraid of standing out.
It’s also worth remembering that the reason behind the tradition is deeply personal. His mother, who has been doing nails her entire life, remains the inspiration behind it. So trolls can hate all they want but Williams doesn’t care what people think. Because for him, painted nails or not, the only thing that truly matters is how he plays the next snap.
