Bears General Manager Ryan Poles has done an incredible job in his time with Chicago. Poles navigated a trade with the Panthers that gave Chicago’s 2023 #1 pick to Carolina. In exchange, they got WR D.J. Moore and the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick. That trade worked out favorably for Chicago as Carolina finished as the worst team in the NFL. Giving the Bears the #1 pick in the 2024 Draft.
With that selection, the Bears took 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams out of USC. Chicago hopes they’ve finally solved their ongoing problem of not drafting the right QB. Williams has an elite WR trio in 2024 and that starts with D.J. Moore who just recently got paid by the Bears. His four-year, $110 million extension is the largest in franchise history. Ryan Poles is invested in the talent the team has and building around their best players.
The #Bears and standout WR DJ Moore have reached a deal on a four-year, $110M extension with $82.6M guaranteed. The deal was done by agents Drew Rosenhaus, Jason Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. pic.twitter.com/3SriCRsz5S
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 30, 2024
In the 2018 NFL Draft, D.J. Moore was the 24th overall pick by the Panthers out of Maryland. The 27-year-old has had 1,100+ receiving yards in four of his six professional seasons. Moore’s first five seasons of his career were with the Panthers and the talented WR played with a rotating cast of QBs. However, Moore remained a reliable target and a player who produced for Carolina. Despite that, the team traded him to the Bears to be able to draft QB Bryce Young.
Moore had a breakout season in his first year with Chicago. His 96 receptions, 1,364 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns were all career highs. That includes four games without Justin Fields in 2023. Since entering the NFL in 2018, D.J. Moore ranks seventh in receiving yards and has played with 12 different QBs. In 2023, Moore accounted for 39.9% of Chicago’s receiving yards, the highest percentage for any player last season.
DJ Moore is 1-of-1 when it comes to securing the BAG 🔥💰 pic.twitter.com/YmbnBmDcrg
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 30, 2024
Chicago hopes to have an explosive offense in 2023 and D.J. Moore will be a key piece. Last season the Bears had Justin Fields who was not a true passer and was a dual-threat QB. Caleb Williams can scramble as well, but he’s known for his arm and making plays happen. Similar to Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. Along with Moore, the Bears traded with the Chargers for WR Keenan Allen. Los Angeles did not want to keep his contract on their roster. Finally, the Bears had a second first-round pick in the 2024 Draft at #9. They used that pick to draft a talented WR out of Washington, Rome Odunze. Caleb Williams is coming into the NFL with a loaded WR core and the Bears are setting him up for success.
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