New Bears DT Jeffery Simmons: 2024 'Painted Nails' comment on QB Caleb Williams just 'smack talk'

New Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons got his first taste of the fan base’s fervor leading up to the 2024 season when he took a shot at quarterback Caleb Williams. Simmons, then with the Titans, was asked by NFL Network’s Rich Eisen about facing Williams in his NFL debut and responded by jokingly calling him simply, “Painted Nails.”

The backlash from Bears fans was so strong that Simmons “thought they were going to crash my Instagram,” he said Friday.

Now they’re teammates, though, and Simmons said the jab at Williams two years ago was nothing more than trying to get under an opponent’s skin.

“I’ve been a fan of Caleb,” Simmons said after his first practice. “Of course, being on the other side and having to play against him, I’m not going to tell him that. I’m going to talk as much smack as I can.

“But now he’s on my team. Any teammate you ask about me, man, I have my teammate’s back, no matter if he’s on the other side of the ball or not. I’m going to talk the most smack to you when you’ve got a different color jersey on, but when we’re on the same team on Sundays, I go to war for any of my guys in the locker room. I hope Caleb would know that.”

Simmons said he had a nice exchange with Williams after the Bears and Titans held a joint practice in late August and again Friday morning before meetings.

“The comments a couple years ago about the nails is all part of my game, with the smack talk,” Simmons said. “I don’t know if you guys have heard, but I’m probably one of the best smack talkers. I talk a lot of smack when I’m on the field. I’m looking forward to being his teammate. We all know what type of player he is.”