How the DJ Moore trade affects the Chicago Bears' offseason plans

The Bears have traded DJ Moore.

With a $114 million extension that was set to begin in the 2026 season, the price was too high for the Bears to keep the receiver they acquired in March 2023 when they traded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Panthers.

Here’s what it means for the Bears as the offseason begins to unfold.

By the numbers:

Trading Moore means the Bears are getting further over the salary cap.

According to Spotrac, the Moore trade puts the Bears at $17,014,651 in cap space. They were about $1 million over the cap after center Drew Dalman’s retirement on Tuesday.

There are more moves to make, too. The Bears are expected to move on from linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Whether they release or trade him, Edmunds’ departure will free up another $15 million in cap space for the Bears.

Now, they’ll have the opportunity to make some moves.

The free agency negotiating period begins next week. A year ago, the Bears landed Dalman, as well as defensive linemen Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo, when free agency opened. They’ll need to find a starting center, as well as look into fortifying the pass rush.

With this move, the Bears opened up a chunk of money they could potentially use to land one or two impact players for the 2026 roster. It all depends on what the asking price is for some of the players available.

Dig deeper:

The Bears are acquiring a second-round pick from the Bills for Moore and a fifth-round pick. They’ll acquire pick No. 60 and send pick No. 163.

The Bears’ 2026 NFL Draft structure looks like:

Round 1 - No. 25 overall

Round 2 - No. 57 overall

Round 2 - No. 60 overall

Round 3 - No. 89 overall

Round 4 - No. 129 overall

Round 7 - No. 238 overall

Round 7 - No. 240 overall

The extra second-round pick could pay dividends, especially considering how the Bears found two major contributors in the second round of the last draft cycle with Ozzy Trapilo and Luther Burden.

The Bears could add to this if they were to trade Edmunds to a team and get a draft pick in return.

Drafting a receiver would only seem likely if the Bears used one of their second-round picks on a pass catcher. They have too many needs on defense and on the offensive line to opt for a luxury pick at No. 25.

Big picture view:

A big question that now remains is: Are the Bears better off without DJ Moore?

Time will tell.

Losing Moore means the Bears also need to add to their receiver room. However, they already have three options there. The Bears could: 1. Turn to JahDae Walker, 2. Re-sign Olamide Zaccheaus or 3. Draft a wide receiver.

Second-year tight end Colston Loveland is already a trusted receiver for Caleb Williams, and it’s fair to expect Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze to take more of a responsibility in the passing game to pick up where Moore left off.

Both Odunze and Burden missed at least two games this season with injuries. Moore did not miss a game during his three seasons as a Bear. The dependability Moore brought to the offense can’t be understated.

The Bears will miss that. They’ll also miss Moore’s penchant for clutch plays.

Moore had a 230-yard, three-touchdown game against Washington in 2023. He also caught passes in 2023 and 2024 that set up game-winning field goals to beat the Vikings and Packers, respectively. 

This past season, he caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime to beat the Packers on a play Bears fans will remember forever. He also caught the go-ahead touchdown in the NFC Wild Card round to help stun the Packers in the playoffs.

Moore was more of an introverted person – as the term introverted wide receiver seems like an oxymoron – but Moore did his best talking on the field for the Bears. The offense will miss that.

BearsSports