ESPN’s latest trade proposal involving Bears WR DJ Moore sounds too good to be true and shows Chicago is ready to go all in
Trading DJ Moore is a tough pill to swallow, but this trade proposal would make moving on well worth it.
The conversation surrounding Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore and his future with the team has become quite the controversial discussion among the fan base.
The truth of the matter is that Moore is slated to have the team’s highest cap hit in 2026 with a cap hit of $28.5 million despite being, at best, the team’s second pass catcher going into next season.
Moore is coming off arguably the worst statistical season of his entire career and the Bears legitimately have two viable options: restructure his contract which then pushes more money down the road or rip the Band-Aid off now and trade him to a new team. It’s a difficult conversation, but this latest trade proposal from ESPN certainly makes it seem like an easy decision.
Bears send DJ Moore and 2026 first-round pick to the Raiders for Maxx Crosby in ESPN mock trade
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell posted several mock trade offers on Monday that fit what both teams are looking for this offseason and had an offer Bears fans would find enticing that gives the team the best of both worlds. Here’s the offer:
Bears Receive: EDGE Maxx Crosby, 2027 fifth-round pick
Raiders Receive: WR DJ Moore, 2026 first-round pick (No. 25)
If you’ve followed any Bears content since the season ended, you understand how hot the conversation as been surrounding pass rusher Maxx Crosby. He is easily the belle of the ball for the Bears offseason targets, but he’s also the riskiest option to go after and this trade shows why.
It was reported during Super Bowl week that the Las Vegas Raiders would expect a Micah Parsons-like offer to consider moving on from Crosby. For context, the price to acquire Parsons was a Pro Bowl DT in Kenny Clark and two first-round picks (2026, 2027) along with a top of the market extension. Personally, the Raiders will get less than that considering Crosby is an older player and Barnwell clearly sees things the same way.
The offer I suggested in an exercise conducted by A to Z Sports Las Vegas writer Justin Churchill was: WR DJ Moore, 2026 1st-round pick (No. 25), and a 2027 2nd-round pick. This ESPN proposal sounds too good to be true.
In this mock trade, the Bears would take on Crosby’s salary and here’s the breakdown: “$60.6 million between 2026 and 2027, with the option to pay an additional $53.9 million in non-guaranteed money between 2028 and 2029.” To make it work, the Bears get off of Moore’s contract which is basically $49 million over the next two years.
The Bears get their impact pass rusher to take the entire defense to a new level while the Raiders land a veteran WR1 to pair with incoming rookie QB Fernando Mendoza. Sounds like a win-win on paper, but the snowball effect of this would limit the rest of Chicago’s offseason plans.
The downside to this particular trade offer for the rest of the Bears offseason
When you trade a player away, you need to have a plan in place to replace said player. Moving Moore opens up a sizable hole in the Bears wide receiver room, forcing Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III to step up. Even then, the Bears would still need a solid WR3 to round out the offense and the options aren’t very promising in that department.
The other concern is that the team’s three top positions of need are still unaccounted for (S, DT, LT). Every safety from the 2025 roster is set to hit free agency and adding Crosby to the books limits the amount the Bears could spend to re-sign Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker, or sign an outside option. As for defensive tackle, I view that as much more of a need for this team than another impact edge rusher and the Bears would still need another left tackle for competition after Ozzy Trapilo’s injury.
As good as this trade proposal sounds, it would leave the Bears without much money to spend and without a first-round pick while not getting another 2026 pick to work with in return. It would be incredibly difficult to address those other needs in this scenario but the thought of adding Crosby while getting of Moore’s contract in itself is certainly intoxicating when you first read it.
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