When DJ Moore abruptly vanished from the Chicago Bears’ walk-through Tuesday evening, teammates wondered what was up, curious why one of the team’s top offensive weapons had bolted from the practice fields at Halas Hall.
When many of those same teammates learned the reason, seeing it on their smartphones in the locker room at the end of another long day of training camp, the collective delight exploded.
Moore, who had two seasons left on his second NFL contract, had just signed a four-year extension with the Bears that includes $110 million in new money and $82.6 million in guarantees, according to a league source.
The 27-year-old wide receiver eagerly put pen to paper on that deal, then returned downstairs and entered what he described as “the turntest locker room I’ve ever been a part of.”
“It was going berserk,” Moore said with a smile Wednesday. “Champagne showers.”
Moore was in a particularly giddy mood just before the Bears departed Halas Hall for Thursday night’s Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. And why wouldn’t he be? With a new contract that extends through the rest of the 2020s, Moore was feeling both the belief the Bears have shown in him and the satisfaction that comes with attaining long-term security.
“The guaranteed money was awesome,” he said. “That was the main part that I loved out of the whole thing.”
Moore’s delight, he revealed, was in stark contrast to the initial emotions he felt upon being traded to the Bears on March 10, 2023. At that time, Moore and his wife had just bought a home near Charlotte, N.C., and planned on sticking with the Carolina Panthers for years to come. The Bears, meanwhile, had just come off a dismal 3-14 season.
The now-landmark trade the Bears pulled off in exchange for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft triggered a four-letter word from Moore.
“When I first got the call, I was like, ‘Aw, (bleep),’” he said. “But then I was just like, new beginnings, new everything.”
A new team plus a new opportunity resulted in career-high production for Moore last season.
Even in a Bears passing attack that struggled for much of the season, ranking 27th with 182.1 yards per game, Moore finished in the top 15 in catches (13th, 96), receiving yards (sixth, 1,364) and touchdown receptions (tied for eighth, eight).
That gave Bears general manager Ryan Poles a glimpse of Moore’s potential and a belief in the direction of his career. Combined with Moore’s unselfish attitude, professional work habits and low-maintenance personality, Poles saw the opportunity to reward a respected standout, even with Moore already signed through the end of the 2025 season.
By extending Moore, Poles also struck at a time when the wide receiver market has been exploding. In a year when top-flight receivers such as Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jaylen Waddle have altered the business landscape with new contracts, Moore became a thankful beneficiary.
“I wasn’t really in that mindset to go to the top-top,” Moore said. “I was just like, ‘All right, what’s a good number? And let’s go from there.’”
Moore knew in recent days that extension talks might escalate quickly. Last weekend, the Bears made his camp an initial offer. On Tuesday, agent Drew Rosenhaus stopped by Halas Hall to talk more deeply with Poles and the Bears contract negotiation team.
“And then it just happened,” Moore said with a smile. “Like magic!”
Moore also expressed his own vote of confidence in the organization, believing the Bears are headed to new heights in the coming years, particularly with Caleb Williams as their chosen franchise quarterback.
Williams, drafted with the No. 1 pick the Bears received from the Panthers in the same trade that landed Moore, has won over many of his teammates since his arrival.
Moore has been vocal in praising Williams’ personality and, more significantly, his ability.
Throughout the offseason and again through training camp, Moore has said he appreciates the way Williams has learned from struggle, making mistakes against the Bears defense but then asking defensive players and offensive teammates for pointers on how to improve.
“He takes everything in one ear and then it just stays there,” Moore said. “And then he goes out there and carves (the defense) up probably the next two plays. It’s just amazing to watch.”
Moore was also a vocal supporter of former Bears quarterback Justin Fields throughout 2023 and even into the offseason. But he made his allegiance to Williams clear Wednesday.
“Justin is my guy. But he was also the quarterback last year,” Moore said. “Now we’ve got Caleb. He’s my guy times two because he’s going to be here. That’s how we’re going to rock.”
Moore’s extension puts him under contract with the Bears through 2029 as Poles seeks long-term stability in the offense. For at least the next four seasons, the Bears have Moore, Williams, wide receiver Rome Odunze, tight end Cole Kmet and right tackle Darnell Wright under contract together, unifying a nucleus of talented contributors who should create momentum.
After signing the extension, Moore said he returned home to his wife and kids for a “celebration dinner” of an eight-piece family meal from Popeye’s.
“It was classic,” he said. “My son had to eat, so he tore up some chicken. And my daughter was eating the chicken and mashed potatoes. They tore it up.”
The Bears are hopeful Moore will tear it up on the field this season and deep into the future. With their union in place for the next six seasons, the good vibes were understandable.
“This organization has embraced me from the time that I got here,” Moore said. “From the time that we got traded to the time that ink got on that paper (Tuesday), it has been nothing but love. I hope that it’s always going to be that way and I’m going to keep going out there and putting my best foot forward.”
