Fresh off of signing a new four-year, $110 million contract extension that includes $82.6 million guaranteed, DJ Moore celebrated the occasion by having dinner at Popeyes. Not the first place I would hit after signing a $110 million extension, but to each their own.
Moore’s celebration dinner choice was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the notable soundbites that Moore provided the assembled press with this morning at his press conference following the Bears’ final practice ahead of tomorrow’s Hall of Fame Game.
Let’s talk about Moore’s home run of a …
DJ Moore’s Initial Reaction to Coming to Chicago
Now, one of the franchise’s cornerstones, Moore, was asked about his initial reaction when he learned he was coming to Chicago, and he replied with a laugh:
“When I first got the call, I was like, ‘aw shit..'”
Moore’s response gave the room at Halas Hall a good laugh and is actually about what you would have expected from a receiver learning they’ve been traded to the Chicago Bears, a place known as a wide receiver graveyard for decades.
Not only was Chicago known as the place where receivers go to die, they were a disaster on th🔴e field. Ryan Poles was trying to flip the ꧋roster upside down and reset the salary cap while building for the future, and the team was coming off a 14-loss season that netted them the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the exact pick used to land Moore.
Can you blame the guy for being less tha🅰n enthused?
Moore clarified that his initial reaction was more closely related to the fact that he and his family had jus♌t settled into a new home when he learned he had been traded. The move to Chicago was the icing on the cake of the stress he was dealing with.
But if Moore had never clarified his initial reaction, I don’t think anyone would have blamed him. Regarding Chicago’s reputation for wide receivers, Moore said he was aware of it but didn’t give it much thought.
In his first season in Chicago, Moore caught 96 passes for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns, just 144 yards shy of Brandon Marshall’s franchise record for receiving yards in a single season.
Times Have Changed at Halas Hall
From where receivers go to die to where receivers want to sign multi-year extensions, the winds are changing at Halas Hall these days. Of all the funny, candid, and insightful things that D.J. Moore said in his 14-minute presser today, my biggest takeaway was that the Bears are becoming a place where people want to play.
Moore said that the Bears’ current roster was a motivator in his desire to get a new deal done and secure his future here (his new extension keeps him here through 2029):
“If you look at our team, I’m six years, Rome’s five, Caleb’s five … we’ve got Cole for four. Everybody’s here for the long haul on the offensive side. That’s pretty secure to me.”
Good point, D.J.
Moore was one of the players most vocal in support of Justin Fields last winter, leading people to assume that he would become disgruntled if the Bears moved on from Fields and drafted Caleb Williams. Moore stood byಞ his quarterback when the circumstances put Fields in an awkward spot near the end of his tenure, and that was always commendable. But even 🅺Moore sees the difference between his old quarterback and the new one.
“I think Caleb is going to be excellent. I think he’s going to be a superstar, and I just wanted to be a part of that.”
That comment is essential. It’s proof that one of the NFL’s best players wanted to ink a long-term deal to play with Caleb Williams. Those powerful words will ring loudly around the rest of the league.
Moore was also asked about Keenan Allen, the only notable Bears offensive weapon not signed to a long-term deal right now. He said that he’s already spoken to Allen about getting on board with the future by signing an extension of his own.
“I did that yesterday. ‘Man, listen. What’s your number? Let’s get it done.’ I’m going to leave his number out of it. I think we can get it done.”
Moore’s deal is another indicator that the Bears’ front office is operating differently from their predecessors, and comparing them to those doesn’t make much sense anymore. Ryan Poles has transformed this franchise internally, but more importantly, externally.
