Jonathan Owens knows there will be nerves as he settles in to watch the Olympic gymnastics competition next week in Paris.
The Chicago Bears safety is taking a brief trip from training camp to watch his wife — seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles — compete for Team USA. And he expects that experience to be both “amazing” and nerve-wracking.
“Anytime you get nervous is really a good thing because you care,” Owens said. “It’s such a tough sport and she does things that no one else in the world can do, so I’m always nervous and praying for her safety and just praying for a clear head so she can go out there and just continue to do what she does.”
When Owens signed a two-year contract with the Bears this offseason, he and his agent brought up the possibility of missing a few days for the trip. He said he tried to be respectful with the request, letting the Bears know how much he, Biles and their families would appreciate it. He said the team was “really cool about it” and called it a “first-class organization.”
Coach Matt Eberflus said the Bears are allowing Owens to go “because we respect the Olympics.”
“That is a big deal,” Eberflus said. “And he’s just supporting the one he loves the most. And I think that’s so cool that he gets to do that. We welcome that, and it’s going to be awesome. Go USA.”
The Bears signed Owens to add important depth at safety behind starters Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard. Owens, a sixth-year NFL veteran, has started 30 games — 28 in the last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans.
Owens said he has been getting a little better every day as he learns a new scheme and acclimates with teammates. So he will try to minimize the amount of work he misses while away.
He will practice Monday before getting on a plane to Paris and will return Aug. 3. He won’t play in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Texans on Aug. 1 but will try to stay up to speed on Bears happenings. He said every meeting will be recorded.
“I won’t miss a beat,” he said. “I’ll make sure I’m working out over there and make sure I come back in good shape.”
Owens tried to catch Biles’ competitions whenever he could over the last several months as he settled in with the Bears. Owens and Biles live in Houston near Biles’ training facility, so they spent much of the short Bears offseason together before both left to join their teams.
He never has seen Biles compete in the Olympics. He couldn’t go to Tokyo three years ago because of COVID-19 restrictions, so he woke up at 4 or 5 a.m. during Texans training camp to catch her on TV before heading to practice.
When he’s in the stands next week, he said he’ll hold a little piece of paper, calculating her scores as she competes.
“When she’s on the floor or the beam, I just know how long you work for it and how much you put into it,” he said. “So when you see someone out there, I don’t know, I can’t describe it. We’re just out there holding our breath.”
Owens said his Bears teammates have been supportive of his trip, asking questions and requesting he bring back souvenirs.
“It’s like everyone’s a gymnastics fan now,” he said.
As an NFL player, Owens is used to media attention. The Bears, after all, are currently the subject of the HBO and NFL Films series “Hard Knocks.”
But the attention reaches another level as part of Biles’ life. After some social media blowback from a podcast interview he did last year, he said he has learned to stay out of his notifications to keep peace of mind.
Photos: Gymnast Simone Biles and the U.S. Gymnastics team at the Paris Olympics
“She has taught me how to do it,” Owens said. “You have to stay off of there and just know people are going to be talking about you, man, whether you’re doing good or bad. That’s just the reality of the profession that I’m in, the profession that she’s in.
“I’m living my dream. I’m happy, my wife’s happy, so we really don’t get into that too much.”
Owens also was a part of the new Netflix documentary series “Simone Biles: Rising,” which he called an “interesting experience” to have a camera and mic on them. He liked how it gives viewers insight into their thoughts and experiences.
“I love it because people get to see the human side of you,” Owens said.
Starting this weekend, Owens and gymnastics fans hope to see a side of Biles few humans can replicate.
“I just think about, ‘How did I get so lucky that this is my wife?’” Owens said of watching Biles. “And I get to see her, someone that’s literally at the pinnacle of their sport, and I get to call this my wife. It’s amazing.”
