Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore is sending his heartfelt thanks to the Carolina Panthers after his former team helped his new team clinch the No. 1 overall draft pick for a second consecutive season.
ster game for the Bears in their 37-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons on New Year’s Eve, catching nine passes for 159 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. It marked Moore’s fifth game eclipsing 100 receiving yards for the Bears since arriving in an offseason trade and pushed him to a career-high 1,300 yards on the year.
After the game, reporters asked Moore how he felt about the Panthers — who sank to 2-14 on the season in Week 17 — clinching the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft for the Bears. And frankly, his answer probably echoes how many fans in Chicago are feeling about it.
“I mean, s***, I feel like I was the No. 1 pick when they traded for me,” Moore said of the trade that sent him to Chicago in March 2023, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago. “But, I mean, thanks to Carolina, that’s all I can say to that.”
DJ Moore Reiterates Support for Justin Fields as QB
The Bears have their No. 1 receiver, but do they have their franchise quarterback? That is a question they could spend the better part of the next four months answering as they weigh what to do with their No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.
On one hand, they could stick with Fields and trade back (again) from the No. 1 spot to acquire another franchise-altering haul. They could also trade Fields and use their top selection on one of the top quarterback prospects — Caleb Williams or Drake Maye — to reset the quarterback clock and avoid shelling out big money at the position. Without question, it is the more consequential decision of Poles’ tenure as general manager.
If Poles is listening to his star players talk, though, he knows what they want.
“I said it before, I’m going to keep saying it. Today, the Houdini act should’ve put the nail in,” Moore said in December 31’s postgame. “I want [Fields] to be the quarterback. I said what I said. Now it’s on the higher-ups. It’s up to them.”
Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers for Heavy.com. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
