The Chicago Bears' impressive 2025 season is officially over. It was a heartbreaking loss at Soldier Field on Sunday evening, as the Bears suffered a 20-17 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams, as opposing kicker Harrison Mevis ended the first year of the Ben Johnson era with a 42-yard game-winning kick that sent the Windy City into silence.
As with any elimination defeat, Bears fans have been asking a lot of questions following the loss, including, "What if DJ Moore didn't give up when it mattered the most?" The veteran wide receiver's future in Chicago has been under the spotlight due to an up-and-down campaign, and his lackluster effort in the Divisional Round might be what guarantees his one-way ticket off the Bears' roster.
Bears Can't Bring DJ Moore Back After Embarrassing Effort vs. Rams
Football is a team sport, making it difficult to pin the loss on any one player. Much to Moore's dismay, though, he's making it pretty easy for Bears fans to declare him Public Enemy No. 1 after taking his foot off the gas in overtime.
With just under seven minutes to go in OT, quarterback Caleb Williams lasered a ball in Moore's direction that, if caught, would put the Bears firmly in the Rams' territory, giving them a great chance to advance to the NFC Championship Game. Instead of doing whatever it takes to get the ball, Moore was seen jogging like he didn't know the ball was coming his way, with his lack of urgency opening the door for L.A. safety Kamren Curl to come down with the interception.
Moore's blunder is even more frustrating, given that he had a decent performance before then, catching five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown — his fifth score in the last six games. If he had come up clutch in overtime, there's a good chance that Bears fans would've welcomed a return, despite next season's astronomical $28.5 million cap hit.
Instead, the 28-year-old receiver has made it clear that he isn't the WR1 that the Bears need him to be. Yes, he had a few bright moments this year, including a pair of multi-TD outings; however, the fact that he had (including the playoffs) more performances with fewer than 50 yards (11) than he did above that mark (eight) gives Chicago general manager Ryan Poles every reason to shop Moore this offseason.
While a cut would, in theory, be easier, doing so would result in dead money hits of $35.4 million and $27.4 million before and after June 1, respectively, per Spotrac. Meanwhile, a post-June 1 trade creates $24.5 million in savings with only a $4 million cap hit, proving to be the better option as long as the Bears can find someone to take Moore off their hands.
Fortunately, there are teams out there that can not only absorb that money but could also use some veteran leadership in their WR room. The Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Jets have some holes on their respective wideout depth charts, on top of having enough scratch to do a deal with the Bears. Even if the return isn't amazing due to the size of his salary, simply getting Moore off the books could make Poles' offseason planning that much easier.
Moore's performance has now declined in back-to-back seasons. If the Bears want to avoid witnessing what a third consecutive year of regression would look like, it's in the front office's best interest to trade Moore before the offseason is over.