Chicago Bears' dream wide receiving core may not last long

Even with both the NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Final taking place this week, the NFL managed to steal some of the thunder this week when Minnesota Vikings signed their star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to a 4-year, $140 million contract, which includes $110 million guaranteed, making him the highest non-quarterback player ever.

This off-season saw Miami's Jaylen Waddle(3-year, $84.75 million), Houston's Nico Collins(3-year, $72.5 million), Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown(4-year, $120 million), and Philadelphia's A.J. Brown(3-year, $96 million) and DeVonta Smith(3-year, $75 million) receiving a massive contract extension in a short amount of time. Once someone signs a big deal, the other receivers one up immediately, completely resetting the receivers' market.

We still have not included San Francisco 49ers' Branden Aiyuk and Dallas Cowboys' Cee Dee Lamb, who are both sitting out OTAs as they await new contract extension. Both players could reset the market again.

The Bears will eventually have to sign DJ Moore to an extension similar to the receivers mentioned above. Moore, who is 27 years old, will make about $16 million in 2024 and 2025. But you can bet he is licking his chops with massive extensions fellow wide receivers are getting these days. My prediction is Moore will eventually sign a 4-year contract between $100-110 million between now and next off-season.

Meanwhile, Keenan Allen, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers, was asked about his possible extension with the Bears as his contract expires after this season. His response was very telling given the massive deals being handed out for wider receivers these days.

The Bears fans must embrace that DJ Moore-Keenan Allen-Rome Odunze trio will likely be a short one.

General manager Ryan Poles' decision to draft Rome Odunze in this year's draft looks smarter in the long run. The chance of Allen re-signing with the Bears is probably slim because of his age(32) and his history of injuries. Unless he enjoys playing with Caleb Williams and Shane Waldron's system and is willing to take less money to play next season, this could be Allen's only season with the Bears.

When Moore's contract expires, the Bears will likely have to extend Odunze. He could be the one who resets the receiver market next just like Jefferson did recently. That could also mean the Bears will likely part ways with Moore. That is how the NFL has always operated even though the salary cap will likely continue to go up.

Thanks to the addition of Caleb Williams, Allen and Odunze this off-season, the optimism for the Bears have never been higher. Moore has said the race for 1,000 yards is on. If Odunze is as good as advertised, he could also reach 1,000 yards too.

There are only five teams in NFL history to have three receivers reach 1,000 yards in the same season: the 1980 San Diego Chargers, the 1985 Washington team, the 1995 Atlanta Falcons, the 2004 Indianapolis Colts, and, the 2008 Arizona Cardinals. The odds of the Bears becoming the sixth team to join the list look pretty good on paper. The fans also better be prepared that this upcoming season is the only time we see the trio of Moore-Allen-Odunze playing together in a Bears uniform.