Getty
Wide receiver DJ Moore of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears are exceeding just about everyone’s wildest expectations this season, perhaps even their own, but it certainly isn’t all hand holding and singing Kumbaya in the Windy City as the NFL calendar flips to the final month of the regular season.
Chicago entered Lambeau Field on Sunday, December 7 on a five-game win streak and victors in nine of the team’s last 10 outings. The run was replete with late-game heroics and win-shouldering performances from all three units.
That said, there remains tensions in the locker room and across the roster. Analysts have examined and debated the relationship between head coach Ben Johnson, who runs a tried and true offensive system, and free-styling quarterback Caleb Williams for weeks.
Wide receiver DJ Moore has also been visibly frustrated with both his coach and quarterback at different points throughout the year, as he is on pace for the worst statistical season of his career.
Moore’s annoyance bubbled over again on the sideline Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, when Williams threw an interception in the end zone on a fourth-and-one play from the Packers’ 14-yard line with 27 seconds remaining in the game. Chicago was down seven points at the time.
Why is DJ Moore so angr….oh
Moore took his helmet off and stomped down the sideline, stone-faced and rolling his eyes.
The wideout finished the day with just one reception for -4 yards, while Williams completed 19-of-35 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and the game-sealing interception.
DJ Moore Prime Trade Candidate Next Offseason
GettyChicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore.
Moore’s frustration with his under-utilization, both in Johnson’s system and from the perspective of Williams not looking his way more often, is understandable.
Moore inked a four-year extension worth $110 million in July 2024 that keeps him under contract through 2029. He is the highest-paid skill-position player on the team, but the Bears also made him such during a former coaching regime.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN offered up Moore as the most likely surprise trade candidate ahead of the November deadline, explaining why the Bears might still decide to make the move in the coming offseason.
“The 28-year-old … hasn’t found a consistent role in Ben Johnson’s offense; he is averaging a career-low 47.3 receiving yards per game,” Barnwell wrote October 30.
“I get the sense that Johnson’s preferred option would be to work with 12 personnel when tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland are healthy or work Luther Burden III into the mix alongside Olamide Zaccheaus and Rome Odunze in three-WR sets,” Barnwell added. “A trade during the offseason would make more sense, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Moore became the odd man out in Chicago.”
DJ Moore Not Worth Salary at Current Usage Rate
GettyWide receiver DJ Moore of the Chicago Bears.
The Bears, with a 9-4 record and potentially playoff bound in a loaded NFC, have already proven they can function without Moore playing a significant role.
Chicago can relieve itself of $24.5 million against the salary cap in each of the next four seasons by trading Moore, with dead cap hits of just $4 million in each of the next three years. That would allow for more significant investment at positions of need, such as left tackle or edge-rusher.
Johnson’s offense should improve in Year 2, and relies on a stalwart running game and the frequent use of multiple tight end sets. Moore still has significant trade value and could probably bring back a Day 2 draft pick from the right suitor.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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