Projected 2024 contracts are published for these four Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears Pending Free Agent: Darnell Mooney, WR

It would have been nice to see Darnell Mooney play the entire 2022 season. Unfortunately, a broken fibula derailed his season. Mooney struggled early on in the year but started to come on strong before his season-ending injury. Now, he must prove the injury hasn't slowed him down. He also is going to have competition for targets now that D.J. Moore is on the roster.

In 2021, Darnell Mooney had a breakout season. He saw 140 targets, catching 81 of them for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. He also added another touchdown on the ground. Despite a 57% catch rate, Mooney looked to be on the verge of becoming one of the better wide receivers in the league. A slow start to the 2022 season, coupled with the Chicago Bears barely throwing the ball, led to the plummet of Darnell Mooney's production.

Mooney still had some highlight-reel catches. His catch rate increased to 65.6%. However, he only saw 61 targets. Mooney caught 40 of them for 493 yards and two touchdowns. Spotrac has Mooney projected to earn just shy of $60 million over four years. This is an average annual salary of $14.9 million and would make him a top-25 earner at the wide receiver position. Personally, as much as I love Mooney, I think that might be on the high side. Mooney would have to have another great year this year to see that money. I expect him to fall closer to the $10-$12 million per year range.