When the Chicago Bears drafted Luther Burden in the second-round, fellow wide receiver DJ Moore started seeing his name in trade rumors. However, Ben Johnson and company are looking to build out a dynamic offense in Chicago, not subtract from it.
Still, Burden’s arrival gives the Bears a three-headed monster at receiver. Perhaps some believe that that is overkill. Chicago would get back valuable draft capital in a Moore trade which could become crucial as Johnson builds his roster.
However, the Bears have spent all offseason building around quarterback Caleb Williams. Trading away Moore would be counterintuitive. That’s one of the many reasons Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune thinks the franchise will hold off on a Moore trade.
“That seems unlikely to me considering the Bears paid him just 12 months ago. The Bears would take on a $12 million cap hit if they traded Moore after this season,” Biggs wrote. “Let’s be real here too. If the Bears were looking to deal Moore, it would be because they didn’t believe his production was anywhere near what the team is paying him. In that scenario, he’d be mighty tough to move as he has a base salary of $23.485 million beginning in 2026 and for the three seasons following that.”
“I think Moore is with the team at least through 2026,” Biggs continued. “If early-camp action is a good indicator, Ben Johnson is going to be creative with ways to get him the ball, including some carries as a running back. Who knows? Maybe he becomes a little bit of a Deebo Samuel-type weapon.”
DJ Moore’s run with Chicago Bears
Moore was included in the trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 to the Carolina Panthers. With the Bears also gaining the Panthers’ pick a year later, and using it on Williams, Chicago acquired two key pieces of their passing attack in that trade.
In his debut with the Bears, Moore set new career-highs across the board with 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. His numbers didn’t quite match up in 2024, but Moore still set a new career-best with 98 grabs, turning them into 966 yards and six touchdowns. Furthermore, the receiver led the team with 140 targets.
Moore is once again set to start on the outside next to second-year man Rome Odunze. However, Johnson has also been toying with using the receiver out of the backfield. Overall, the Bears are looking for ways to get the ball in Moore’s hands and maximize his touches.
Maybe it’s all a smokescreen and Chicago will shock everyone with a late-offseason Moore season. But as things stands, the wide receiver is poised to be a crucial part of the Bears’ offense for the foreseeable future.
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