The Chicago Bears put together one of the funnest and most interesting seasons in the NFL in 2025 and the excitement around running it back seems ubiquitous throughout the franchise and its fanbase, though its unclear if wide receiver DJ Moore will be a part of Year 2.
Moore remains the team’s most accomplished wideout, and perhaps still its most talented. That said, he posted career lows with 50 catches and 662 receiving yards, even despite second-year WR Rome Odunze’s multi-game absence down the stretch of the regular season due to injury.
Fans and media members questioned Moore’s body language and effort at several different points across the campaign, while insiders like Bill Barnwell of ESPN floated Moore as a potential surprise trade candidate ahead of the mid-season deadline, now shifting that speculation to the team perhaps dealing him come the start of the new league year in mid-March.
Moore spoke with Jarrett Payton of WGN9 on Thursday, February 5 and set the record straight on his preferences and outlook for the future.
“Hell yeah, I wanna be in Chicago,” Moore said. “I’m really not looking at it as I’m not gonna be in Chicago. That never came across my mind. I don’t think that ever will.”
“I mean, I know where you’re getting that from, [it’s] from the fans that wanna attack people,” Moore continued. “But it is what it is. It comes with the sport, and that’s what we signed up for.”
DJ Moore Was Visibly Frustrated With QB Caleb Williams at Times During Season
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Moore appeared visibly frustrated at times with quarterback Caleb Williams‘ inconsistency, which came among some spectacular playmaking that few quarterbacks in the league now, or throughout its history, have been capable of producing.
Williams completed just 58.1 percent of his passes during his second professional campaign, which is alarming low, though it was hampered by a significant number of unacceptable drops across the pass-catching group.
For context, Williams finished 43rd among QBs in that statistical category. Drake Maye, who is an MVP finalist and will start the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots on Sunday, led the league with a 72 percent completion rate.
But anger, frustration and poor body language don’t necessarily translate into a lack of effort. Moore contended on Thursday that his critics are misinterpreting his on-field behavior, which he said has been happening since long before he joined the league in 2018.
“I always got that, ‘it don’t look like I’m running,” ever since I was little, so I don’t really know how I could change that. I tired to change it, it didn’t work,” Moore explained. “So I was just like, ‘Alright, I’m just gonna stay running how I run.’ And after that, I just let it be.”
“I can’t let the fans … get me too high or too low on my play, and I go from there,” Moore added. “But I think they be mad because they be betting, so that be the only reason. If they didn’t do that, we’d be alright.”
Ben Johnson’s System, Bears’ Offensive Roster May Not Have Room for DJ Moore Next Season
GettyChicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Moore chuckled as he made his closing comments, which indicated they may be somewhat tongue-in-cheek as to fans’ financial interest in his personal performance via prop bets, as sports gambling has exploded in the United States over the past few years.
One question that remains viable, however, is how much does the Bears offense under head coach Ben Johnson actually need Moore?
Johnson spent the first two draft picks of his head-coaching tenure on tight end Colston Loveland (No. 10) and slot receiver Luther Burden III (No. 39). Tight end Cole Kmet is making $50 million and remains on the roster, and Johnson runs a ton of 12 personnel (two tight-end offensive sets), which removes a WR from the field on those plays.
Odunze was having something of a breakout campaign before his injury, was the team’s No. 9 pick in 2024 and can viably function as the WR1 in place of Moore. Even if Odunze isn’t actually as talented, which is arguable, he is younger and playing on a rookie deal.
Meanwhile, Moore is starting a four-year contract extension worth $110 million in 2026 and is the Bears’ most expensive player heading into next season.
Chicago has a multitude of needs on defense, while their highest-paid player in Moore lines up on offense and is at least somewhat redundant based on his skill set and the team’s roster depth at the position.
DJ Moore Sends Unequivocal Message to Bears Fans on Criticism, Future in Chicago