It’s impossible to argue with the success the Chicago Bears are having in 2025 under first year head coach Ben Johnson.
The Bears, who haven’t had a winning season since 2018, are 10-4 and in first place in the NFC North with 3 regular season games remaining.
Johnson was brought in almost specifically with the idea that if he could tap into the potential of one player — quarterback and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams — then the rest of the pieces would fall into place.
Part of what has made the Bears great this year is the offense doesn’t rely on any one player. Williams has thrown 3,150 yards, 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions but almost certainly won’t have a 1,000-yard wide receiver.
Instead, 5 players have at least 300 receiving yards and 5 players have multiple touchdown receptions, led by second-year wide receiver and another 2024 first round pick Rome Odunze with 44 receptions for 661 yards and 6 touchdowns despite missing 2 games.
It also means $110 million wide receiver D.J. Moore has just 43 receptions for 567 yards and 5 touchdowns in 14 games. That type of money for that type of production means Moore, who is under contract through 2029, might be out the door in 2026.
Moore Would Be Perfect Fit for Broncos
Heavy.com’s Max Dible has a trade pitch that would bring Moore to the Broncos in exchange for a 2026 fourth round pick — a pittance if the Broncos could tap back into Moore’s high-end potential and create one of the NFL’s elite wide receiver duos with Courtland Sutton.
“Moore is having a down year with the Bears under new head coach Ben Johnson but has four 1,000-yard receiving seasons and is under contract through the end of the decade,” Dible said. “Moore could explode in the right system and is worth a hard look from Denver.”
Moore was part of one of what could end up being one of the worst trades in NFL history in March 2023, when the Carolina Panthers sent Moore to the Bears along with their 2024 first round pick, 2023 first round pick, 2024 second round pick and 2023 second round pick in exchange for Chicago’s 2023 first round pick.
The Panthers used that pick to select quarterback Bryce Young at No. 1 overall.
In Moore’s first season in Chicago in 2023, he had 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Bears went 7-10 and finished in last place in the NFC North and signed Moore to a 4-year, $110 million contract extension in July 2024.
Broncos Would Have Out Following 2026 Season
While the Broncos might want to try and get Moore to rework his contract, a trade would actually amount to more of a 2-year commitment than a 4-year commitment.
Moore’s contract includes an out after the 2026 season that would only incur a $4 million dead cap penalty in 2028. That’s light work for the Broncos after paying $85 million in dead cap money across the last 2 seasons.
For Moore, who will have $96.5 million in career earnings following this season, it might be worth a bit of a pay cut to stay in Chicago and win games.
Before 2025, Moore hadn’t played on a team with a winning record since he went 11-2 in his senior season at Imhotep (Pa.) Insitute Charter High School in 2014.
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