The Chicago Bears knew after the 2023 season that DJ Moore was exactly the kind of player they wanted over the long term. Going for over 1300 yards in his first season with no stability at quarterback says a lot. Rather than wait for the two remaining years of his contract to expire, the organization decided to be proactive. They engaged his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, about an extension that would ensure he stays in Chicago for years to come. After productive talks, the two sides agreed on a $110 million deal with $86 million guaranteed.
The coolest part came courtesy of HBO. They caught the entire thing coming together for their Hard Knocks program. All the key players you’d expect to be involved in the process were there. GM Ryan Poles was one. Assistant GM Ian Cunningham was another. Rosenhaus was obviously there, as was chief contract negotiator Matt Feinstein. The bigger surprise was the presence of team president Kevin Warren. His predecessor, Ted Phillips, was never known for being directly involved in player negotiations. The GM would usually just give him an update and he’d give the thumbs up or thumbs down.
Warren is once again showing he will be in the loop on everything.
DJ Moore extension provided good insight into Bears’ power structure.
Make no mistake. Warren is the man in charge. Every major decision must be run by him. Many wondered whether this would create issues with Poles, who’d been promised total autonomy in the football operations when he was hired as GM. By the look of things, the two have a strong working relationship that shouldn’t be an issue moving forward. That is a positive thing. When the two guys at the top are on the same page, that usually leads to better days for the franchise.
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Ultimately, the happiest man about this is DJ Moore himself. This extension pretty much secures his financial future. The Bears have him locked up through 2029 but have an out after 2026. If his production starts dipping around that time, they can release or trade him with minimal salary cap impact. As Warren said, it’s a win-win for both sides. All the receiver has to do now is what he does best. Make big plays on Sunday.
