Why the Bears 32-Year-Old Wide Receiver Turned Heads in 2026 Week One
The Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers, 59-37, to begin their regular season with a win. Quarterback Caleb Williams picked up right where he left off in 2025, throwing for 269 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. The former USC Trojan also rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns, putting on one of his best performances as a Chicago Bear so far as they look to get back to the playoffs this year. Carolina had no response to the Bears’ offense, allowing 14 or more points in every quarter. Head coach Ben Johnson made it a goal before the season to break the NFL scoring record, and is off to a great start to make that happen. The most surprising player on the offense, however, was wide receiver Kalif Raymond.
Raymond totaled 89 receiving yards, leading the receivers with eight receptions. Williams favored the former Detroit Lion all game long, establishing a brand new connection that opposing defenses now need to watch out for. Raymond joined the team this offseason, signing a one-year, $5.1 million deal. The nine-year veteran was added mainly to play a returner role on special teams, but has now found himself a potential huge part of this high-powered offense. Raymond was a reliable receiver in Detroit, with his best season coming in 2022, earning 616 receiving yards and an All-Pro punt returner nod that year. His career with the Bears is just getting started, as he will look to continue these performances to potentially earn a bigger contract. The biggest question, however, is whether Raymond can maintain a huge receiving role with the rest of the Bears’ weapons on offense.
The Bears still have some major weapons for Williams to use all season long, in both wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. Odunze totaled 52 receiving yards, while Burden earned 63 total. All of Chicago’s receivers throughout the game had their time to shine, which could be a preview for how each game may see completely different stats for every person on the offense. Tight end Cole Kmet caught his first touchdown of the season, getting off to a hot start in 2026 and establishing himself as another key catcher for Williams to use. Raymond may have a lot of competition all year to be able to maintain the performance he had today, but he was able to show he’s more than capable of keeping up with the others even at 32 years old.
