Bears Clear $8.85 Million in Cap Space, Hinting at Potential Big Move

Getty Bears general manager Ryan Poles may be gearing up for another roster move.

The Chicago Bears might just have one more big roster move up their sleeve based on how they structured star wide receiver DJ Moore’s new contract.

Details are now available on the four-year, $110 million contract extension that Moore signed with the Bears on July 30, revealing that the team structured his new deal in a way that freed up a significant amount of cap space for the upcoming 2024 season.

According to Over the Cap’s contract details, the Bears reduced Moore’s 2024 cap hit from $16.05 million to just $7.2 million for the 2024 season, backloading his contract and clearing $8.85 million in cap space to give themselves roughly $21 million total.

The Bears must still put some of their cap space toward in-season expenses, such as the 52nd and 53rd contracts on their 53-man roster and their practice squad. At the same time, it benefits them to have nearly $9 million more in space heading into the season, especially if they want to add another notable player to their roster before September.

Could Bears Use Space to Trade for Matthew Judon?

The Bears now have more spending room to address one of the weaknesses on their 90-man roster. They could look into more interior offensive line help with right guard Nate Davis still working back from a “strain” injury. They could also look to add more talent to their defensive line, specifically on the edge where few additions were made in 2024.

How about a potential trade for New England Patriots star Matthew Judon?

Judon returned to practice for the Patriots on August 1 after sitting out a few sessions and has been a full participant with the team since then; though, the four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher has been vocal about his desire to sign a new contract with the team. He is scheduled to earn a $6.5 million base salary in 2024 and has said he will play even without a new deal in place, but he also believes his reputation has earned him more.

While Judon missed 13 games in 2023 with a torn bicep, he recorded a combined 43.5 sacks and 107 quarterback hits in his previous four seasons (2019 to 2022) and earned selection to the Pro Bowl in each one. He also had four sacks in the four games he did play in 2023 before going down with his season-ending injury.

The Bears could use someone of Judon’s caliber lining up opposite star Montez Sweat on their defensive line, but trading for him is a twofold problem. Not only would they need to give up significant draft capital — likely a third-round pick or more — but they would also need to pay the soon-to-be 32-year-old to make the exchange worth it.

That’s a tough ask even with roughly $39.3 million in cap space for the 2025 season.

Bears Might Be Thinking Ahead With DJ Moore Deal

Another viable option for the Bears is re-signing 2023 starting defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to their roster in the coming weeks. The 29-year-old recorded just four sacks in 13 games for the Bears in 2023 and had his season cut short when he broke his ankle in December, but Ngakoue showed signs of improvement once the Bears added Sweat. He also has 69 career sacks in nine seasons, which is production the Bears could use.

That said, the Bears might not have been thinking about the immediate future when they structured Moore’s deal to give them cap relief. Instead, Bears general manager Ryan Poles could be thinking ahead to the 2024 NFL trade deadline on November 5.

Poles has made deals at the trade deadline in each of his previous two seasons as the team’s general manager. He traded away both linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive end Robert Quinn and added wide receiver Chase Claypool in 2022, then acquired Sweat from the Washington Commanders for a second-round pick in 2023.

While the Claypool deal proved to be a resounding mistake, Poles hit on the deal for Sweat and locked him down for the long-term future with a four-year, $98 million contract extension shortly after Sweat arrived in Chicago. He may not feel as much pressure to deal again at the deadline now that the Bears’ roster is much improved, but he does have an extra second-rounder in his pocket via his 2023 trade with Carolina.

Should Poles decide to use that second-rounder to acquire another heavy-hitter at the deadline, though, he will likely need the additional cap space.