DJ Moore had two of the most memorable catches in recent Chicago Bears history this past season. Both were critical to beating the hated Green Bay Packers. So you can understand why fans and teammates love him. Unfortunately, that doesn’t erase reality. Moore had his lowest statistical output since his rookie season last year, and is set to count $28 million against the salary cap in 2026. The Bears are paying him to be the #1 guy, but he hasn’t played at that level for two years.
According to Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron, the team isn’t happy about the money situation. They plan to do something somewhat tricky in the weeks leading up to the start of free agency next month.
“The rumor is that the Bears are going to sit down with DJ Moore and his agent and see if Moore is going to be willing to take a pay cut. If we’re being honest, based on production, he should. But if I were him, I would want every dollar of my extension. The Bears could certainly restructure the deal and convert money to bonus money, but all that’s going to do is kick the guarantees and cap hits further down the road, and the Bears are in a situation where they have to ask if they want to pay Moore this much money when they fully expect Burden and Loveland to be stars.”
Based on recent history, the odds of this happening are low. Moore is 29 and still capable of playing at a high level. There is no way his agent will advise him to take less money. The reply would usually be to get traded elsewhere if the Bears don’t want to pay. In such a situation, the likely outcome is that the team will restructure his deal to lower his 2026 cap hit. The problem is that it just shifts the original issue into the future rather than addressing it now.
The Bears don’t have many ideal options if DJ Moore says no.
They don’t want to restructure the deal because it shifts the cap hits to 2027 and beyond, creating another problem down the line. Cutting him is out of the question since the dead money involved would be astronomical. Even a post-June 1st designation would still leave $27 million on the books. The only other option would be a trade. That would remove $16 million from the cap, but the return wouldn’t be anything special. People inside the league think his current value wouldn’t even net a 6th round pick. It would essentially be nothing more than a salary dump.
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| Season | Team | Games | Receptions | Rec Yards | Avg | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | CHI | 17 | 50 | 682 | 13.6 | 6 |
| 2024 | CHI | 17 | 98 | 966 | 9.9 | 6 |
| 2023 | CHI | 17 | 96 | 1,364 | 14.2 | 8 |
It doesn’t sound like the Bears would prefer to do that. Their hope is to keep DJ Moore, but at a slightly more manageable number. Would he take a revised deal, let’s say, of $20 million per year fully guaranteed? That is what Jacobi Meyers is making, and he had a better season than Moore did. If the Bears gave him a revised deal of two years at $40 million fully guaranteed, it would lock him into a great payday while also giving the team an earlier out on his contract after 2027. He’s currently signed through 2029.
This decision will come down to how Chicago views Moore’s future.
That means it will be head coach Ben Johnson’s call. He clearly aimed to get Colston Loveland and Luther Burden more involved down the stretch last season. It was a clear indicator that DJ Moore probably won’t get the same target share he enjoyed the previous two years. That is not to say Johnson hates him. He had plays drawn up for the veteran all season, but this won’t be a case of one receiver getting the majority of passes thrown his way. If that is the state of things, it’s hard to imagine they let that contract linger on their books.
Trading Moore might not be the popular decision in the eyes of fans after what he did to get the Bears to the playoffs. Sadly, it would be the most practical. Trading him would get most of the cap hit off the books and add a draft pick, even if it’s a minor one. They would still have Loveland, Burden, and Rome Odunze for Caleb Williams to throw to. It is a cold business decision, but one teams have to make every year. They can’t let personal feelings cloud what it best for the team.
