Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore has been a hot topic of conversation following the team’s tough overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoffs, where it looked like he gave up on running a route only to have the ball be intercepted by the Rams, who then drove down the field for the game-winning field goal.
Moore, who was acquired in a trade of the No. 1 overall pick back in 2022, has been a key member of Chicago’s offense, but he didn’t seem to fit well in Ben Johnson’s offense. When injuries struck at receiver, with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III going down for a brief period, the Bears turned to Moore, who stepped up for quarterback Caleb Williams. Still, there are questions about Moore’s future in Chicago.
During his end-of-year press conference, general manager Ryan Poles discussed Moore’s 2025 season, which marked his first winning season in the NFL and culminated with two of the best touchdown grabs in recent Bears history in wins over the Green Bay Packers (including in the wild-card playoffs). While Moore has been criticized for his lack of effort in what was the game-sealing interception in overtime against the Rams, Poles came to Moore’s defense and credited him for his solid 2025 campaign.
“I’ll use his words. He didn’t care about stats,” Poles said. “All he cared about winning. It’s the most winning DJ’s ever had, probably since high school. That’s all he cares about. In terms of roster, like I said, we’ve got a lot of decisions to make and figuring that out. I think what stood out about DJ this year is the level of toughness rubbed off on our team. Guys if they were dinged up, they almost had to go because DJ was going. He was able to fight through a lot. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
There’s been plenty of discussion about Moore potentially being a trade candidate given Chicago’s current salary cap situation (he’s a $28.5 million cap hit), the influx of talent at receiver (with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden) and how the Bears seemingly struggled to find a role for him on offense until later in the season. But Poles’ words about Moore’s contributions to the team are certainly noteworthy. But, anything can happen, and it’s something that bears monitoring this offseason.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears GM Ryan Poles’ comments on DJ Moore are quite telling
