Getty Bears wide receiver DJ Moore.
The Chicago Bears have locked down superstar wide receiver DJ Moore for the long-term future after signing him to a four-year, $110 million contract extension on Thursday, July 30, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Moore’s new deal includes $82.6 million guaranteed and is the largest extension in Bears franchise history. The 27-year-old will remain under contract through the 2029 season, which should be a boon for first-round rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Per Schefter, Moore also becomes the first wide receiver in NFL history to have the first 10 seasons of his career guaranteed between his rookie contract and his subsequent contract extensions with the Carolina Panthers and Bears. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin also added that Moore’s guaranteed money ranks third for a receiver on a single contract behind Justin Jefferson’s $110 million guaranteed and A.J. Brown’s $84 million.
Moore also had a highlight-worthy moment in practice to lead off his exciting day. During the team’s 7-on-7 period, he caught a deep ball from Williams with second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in coverage. Moore dashed straight to the end zone, flashing Stevenson a two-finger peace sign on his way in before celebrating.
Later on, the Bears shared the clip, in all its glory, to their official Instagram account.
Don’t be surprised if the clip makes another appearance on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears’ when the first episode premieres on August 6.
DJ Moore Earned Extension With Career Year in 2023
Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in the spring that he tries to be “intentional with the order that” the team does its contract extensions, answering a question about whether the team would work to keep newly acquired veteran Keenan Allen in the fold beyond the 2024 season. He seems to be a man of his word after Moore’s extension.
Moore had an outstanding first season for the Bears in 2023, hitting career-high marks in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364), receiving touchdowns (eight) and catch percentage (70.6). He also led the team in all four categories as their clear No. 1 target.
Moore’s 1,364 yards landed him fourth on the Bears’ all-time list for single-season receiving yards behind only Brandon Marshall (1,508 in 2012), Alshon Jeffery (1,421 in 2013) and Marcus Robinson (1,400 in 1999). He also had a 230-yard game against the Washington Commanders that put him second on the single-game receiving total list.
While Moore still had two years left on his previous deal coming into 2024, the Bears rightly rewarded him with a more significant extension that upped his average annual earnings and paid him more in line with the quality of receiver he has proven to be. Moore would have earned just $32.1 million over the next two years on the deal.
With Moore’s deal on the books, the Bears can now turn their attention to their priority 2025 free agents; though, they might wait until midway through the season to do so. Their two biggest extension candidates now are Allen and left guard Teven Jenkins.
Bears Continue to Set Up Caleb Williams for Success
Moore is a high-quality receiver whom the Bears likely would have wanted to extend regardless of which direction they went at quarterback during the 2024 offseason. But his extension is all the sweeter with the Bears working on a five-to-five-year clock with Williams, their No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft and new franchise quarterback.
Williams will now have three of the Bears’ top passing targets locked up for the duration of his contract (not counting his fifth-year option). Rome Odunze, his fellow first-round rookie, is naturally on the same contract timeline (with his own fifth-year option) while tight end Cole Kmet signed a $50 million extension last July that runs through 2027.
Poles appears to be taking notes on the previous failings of the franchise. While debate has taken place about whether they did enough to support former starter Justin Fields — a quarterback that Poles inherited from the Ryan Pace regime — they have done just about everything they reasonably could have to help Fields’ successor, including taking Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick and targeting for Allen during 2024 free agency.
Now, the Bears can only hope all the pieces start to finally fall into place when the 2024 season officially begins for them against the Tennessee Titans on September 8.