The Chicago Bears will have to make some hard decisions about their free agents and upgrade the roster. One player who could be on the move is wide receiver DJ Moore.
Nic Bodiford of Pro Football Focus went through five veteran players who will be on the hot seat in the 2026 offseason after a not-so-stellar 2025 season. One of the first names mentioned was Moore.
"Moore, 28, produced the lowest YPRR average (1.24) and PFF offense grade (68.7 PFF offense grade) among his eight NFL seasons and is surrounded by ascending, young talent. Moore is under contract through 2028 and is unlikely to be cut until 2027, should Chicago choose to do so."Nic Bodiford
Could the Chicago Bears trade DJ Moore?
Moore averaged 2.31 yards per route run with Justin Fields as his quarterback and 1.44 yards per route run with multiple offensive coordinators and a rookie quarterback. So, 1.24 yards per route run with Caleb Williams breaking out and Ben Johnson calling great plays is a massive letdown.
When you look at the receiving corps, he is still being treated like the number one, but both Rome Odunze and Luther Burden had a bigger impact. Coltson Loveland led the team in receiving down the stretch as well.
All three of them are on their rookie salary, so the team can absorb a $28 million cap hit for Moore. Still, the question is: why would they want to if he is not going to be productive, and they can get much more impact at a much lower cost with the skill players they have assembled?
The Bears can save about $16 million this offseason if they trade Moore. They can get $24 million if they make the trade after June 1. Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard are projected to combine for a salary cap hit close to what they would save by moving on from Moore.
If the team can add two starting defenders and get any sort of pick for what is essentially their fourth-best pass catcher, they have to make that move.
The question is whether anyone wants to trade for Moore now that he is about to turn 30. His last two years have not been as productive, and he still has a couple of big cap numbers in 2027 and 2028, though they come with small dead cap charges.
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The Bears will have to listen to offers for Moore and have to decide if it is worth the cap flexibility to move on from him. He had great moments, but has faded too quickly.