A couple of days ago, the Chicago Bears announced news that seemed to come out of no where, when wide receiver D.J. Moore received a contract extension. It was further proof that this organization has a bright future ahead.
Ryan Poles has been doing a fantastic job. The culture has shifted. The energy is different. The expectations are high, and that's something Moore wanted to be part of for a long time.
After signing his new deal, though, Moore's attention quickly turned to his teammate, Keenan Allen. What would this new extension mean for Allen? Could the Bears afford to keep both of these guys around for an extended period of time? Allen came to the Bears via trade earlier this offseason and enters the final year of his contract which he signed back in Los Angeles.
If Moore has anything to say about it, Poles needs to keep these two together past 2024.
“I was like, man, listen. What’s your number?" Moore said of his conversation with Allen. "Let’s get it done. And I mean, I’m going to leave his number out of it. But I think we can get it done."
Can the Bears afford to give Keenan Allen a contract extension?
After the initial news broke, we dove in a bit already on this topic. To summarize, the Bears can easily afford to get an Allen extension done. The biggest reason why is due to the fact Caleb Williams is on a rookie contract, giving Chicago extra flexibility in a league where quarterback contracts are rising exponentially.
Other teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been able to pay a pair of top-tier wide receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and even the Cincinnati Bengals are entertaining the idea with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, although the Joe Burrow contract muddies the water there.
The point is, Chicago can afford to make this happen, and Poles should be doing everything in his power to get it done -- and before the season.
It only makes sense for a team with a culture like the Bears to get these things out of the way before the season starts. Giving your top two wide receivers new deals before the season, who also happen to be top-15 wideouts in the NFL, is only going to heighten the expectations and positive momentum within this building.
It also gives Williams even more ground to stand on. Knowing he's got Moore, Allen and Rome Odunze all together for the next few years is some of the best security the Bears can offer their young quarterback, outside of security on the offensive line.
Poles knows the tone of this building, right now. He has seen the positive momentum shift over recent months and the last year. This was all a part of the plan, in the very beginning, when he took over an aging roster with financial issues. Now, he's put the Bears in position to take advantage.
Extending Keenan Allen is yet another piece to the puzzle, and Moore knows it. Hopefully, Poles has a deal at the forefront of his mind, too.