The Bears have a new highest-paid player after agreeing to a monster contract extension with top wide receiver DJ Moore on Tuesday, sources said. Moore’s new deal is for $110 million over four seasons with $82.6 million guaranteed, tying him to the team through 2029.
At $27.5 million per season, it’s the largest average salary on a contract in Bears history, eclipsing the $24.5 million defensive end Montez Sweat got last year.
Moore had two years left on his contract, but the Bears undoubtedly wanted to get in front of the rapidly rising market for wide receivers. Vikings star Justin Jefferson signed for $140 million over four years last month.
Moore, 27, has been one of the key acquisitions of general manager Ryan Poles’ run with the team. When he traded out of the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023, he got back Moore and four picks — including the top selection this year, which the Bears used to draft quarterback Caleb Williams.
Moore was unquestionably the best player on the roster when he arrived and quickly stepped into a leadership role. He also produced on the field with the best season of his six-year career: 96 catches for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown. It was the fourth-most yards receiving in a season by a Bear and their best overall receiving season in a decade.
Moore’s current deal will cost the Bears a total of just $32.1 million in salary-cap space over the next two seasons.
It’s rare for a player to get an extension with multiple seasons left on their contract, but the Bears likely were motivated to move urgently amid the surging contracts for wide receivers.
Vikings star Justin Jefferson got $140 million over four years last month, and Lions top receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown signed for $120 million over four years in April. The Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill are among those seeking new deals, which likely would drive the market even higher.
Trading for and securing Moore was a huge step for Poles as he revamped the Bears’ wide receiver room.
Darnell Mooney was the only quality receiver he inherited from predecessor Ryan Pace, and he eventually struggled to the point where the Bears were ready to move on and let him leave in free agency for the Falcons this year. Poles also traded a second-round pick for Chase Claypool, only to unload him after just 10 games.
But Moore was a building block, and Poles added potential Hall of Famer Keenan Allen in a trade in March and drafted Rome Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick the next month. That locked in an excellent group for Williams in his rookie season.
The Bears also have tight end Cole Kmet and Pro Bowl running back D’Andre Swift to fill out their cast of skill players.
With that collection, as well as a defense that looked like it was on the rise late last season, the Bears appear to have set Williams up with a potentially unprecedented good situation for a quarterback picked in the first round.
Moore has been incredibly consistent since the Panthers drafted him out of Maryland in the first round in 2018 despite playing with a constant rotation of sputtering quarterbacks. The Panthers had eight starters in his first five seasons, and Moore averaged 73 catches for 1,040 yards and four touchdowns.
Last season, when the Bears had Justin Fields and finished with the sixth-fewest yards passing in the NFL, Moore was sixth in the league in yardage and accounted for 44% of his team’s total passing output.
