The Chicago Bears have been front and center for quite a few whispers and rumors already this offseason, and it isn't going to stop anytime soon.
Obviously, the big one is a potential Maxx Crosby trade, which Bears fans are holding out hope for, at the moment. But the Bears also have a couple of players they are floating out there for possible trades.
One of them is veteran wide receiver DJ Moore, and CBS Sports' NFL insider, Jonathan Jones, has an idea of where he might end up. In a recent column, Jones wrote:
"One Bears player plenty around the league are keeping an eye on is wide receiver D.J. Moore. The former first-round pick is coming off his least productive year of his career. The Patriots could be a landing spot for Moore if the Bears do a deal involving the receiver."
Jones would go on to say that Moore is also a candidate to be dealt as part of a Crosby deal in Las Vegas. But the Patriots make a lot of sense.
The Chicago Bears could send DJ Moore from playing with Caleb Williams to Drake Maye
First of all, the Patriots could certainly use a true number one wide receiver. Stefon Diggs isn't that guy anymore, and beyond Diggs, the Patriots simply have a bunch of WR2 and WR3 types in the room. Moore gives them someone they can rely on as the go-to target.
Funny enough, Moore would go from playing with Caleb Williams to a guy who will forever be compared to the former no. 1 overall pick in Drake Maye.
Especially after these first two years and having come out of the same draft class, there are plenty of folks who want to tell you that Maye is the better player. And, to be fair, he might be (for now).
But the ties between Williams and Maye will stay forever, considering they were both top-three picks in that 2024 NFL Draft.
As for what the Patriots could give up for Moore, that's a little trickier. My guess is the Bears would love to get a Day 2 pick in exchange for Moore, plus maybe a Day 3 pick later. The problem with the Patriots' picks is that they'll be much later in the round, given that they just played in the Super Bowl.
Hypothetically, the Patriots could send a third-rounder in 2026 (no. 95) and then maybe pick no. 170 (in the fifth round) for Moore and the Bears' first of two seventh-rounders this year.
Read more: Another insider lit a match beneath a possible Bears' Maxx Crosby trade
We'll see what type of market Moore has in the coming days, as free agency kicks off, but for now, the Patriots seem like a logical landing spot.