Earlier this week, we asked you guys this question: Do you expect the Chicago Bears to make a big offseason splash? And after the poll closed, the Bears swung a big trade for DJ Moore. Would you consider the trade big, or is your idea of “big” a Maxx Crosby trade? To me, the Moore trade is a big one because the Bears managed to get a second-round pick for a guy most felt would be fortunate to get a fourth-round pick for, given his contract.
That second-rounder could be used for another trade, or the Bears can keep it and take advantage of the deep draft class at linebacker and safety, two positions the Bears need.
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The Moore trade also frees up some salary cap space, as does the Tremaine Edmunds release and the Drew Dalman retirement, so the Bears are suddenly in a position to make a big free agent signing or swing another big trade.
And this is before they restructure any contracts.
When I voted in the survey earlier this week, I went with a big free agent signing, but now you can count me among the 34% who expect both. And by both, I’m talking a free agent splash and another big trade, since I already think the DJ deal was a big one.
There’s a lot of Maxx Crosby smoke that started up after the Bears acquired the second-rounder from the Bills.
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But even if it’s not a trade for Crosby, the Bears have some extra ammo to go after a defensive player where they have a need at every level.
They also have the cap space to go after the top center on the market, Tyler Linderbaum, but they’d probably need to get creative with the structure to keep his cap hit manageable in 2026.
If the Bears can add some quality players this offseason, that could affect their Super Bowl odds. Right now, our partners at FanDuel Sportsbook have the Bears at +2700, which is the 14th best. They are +1500 to win the NFC (7th best), and +400 to win the NFC North, which are the third-best odds in their division.
Did the DJ Moore deal change your offseason expectations?