Bears, DJ Moore Agree To Four-Year Extension
July 30, 2024, 10:12 PM CDT
Well, that was surprising. Today the Bears and Star Wide Receiver D.J. Moore agreed on a four-year, $110 million extension with $82.6 million in guarantees, which makes this the largest contract in Bears history. The deal will earn DJ $27.5 million a year, and keep him in Chicago for the next six years. This is because DJ had two years remaining on his three-year, $61 million extension that Carolina gave him before making the trade for the number one overall pick in 2023, and that deal was set to expire after the 2025 season. Now, the Bears have ensured their star receiver will stick with them throughout Caleb Williams' rookie contract.
What a great job it was by Ryan Poles to get this deal done now before guys like CeeDee Lamb and Ja'Marr Chase reset the market for receiver contracts. He made sure that DJ was paid handsomely while also remaining financially flexible in the future, as both Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze's rookie contracts with the fifth-year option will expire the year before DJ's new deal expires. I also question the amount of time Keenan Allen will now be with the Bears, especially if Tyler Scott emerges this year. He may be a one-and-done, which is fine as he only cost a fourth-round pick to get. DJ was much more important to get extended, and now that it's done, Bears fans can safely buy his jersey without having to worry about him leaving soon.
Moore put up 1,364 receiving yards on 96 receptions last year while playing in all 17 games. Of those 96 catches, 8 of them were for touchdowns. He will headline the new-look Bears receiving room with new guys Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze coming in, and second-year player Tyler Scott looking to emerge and prove himself as well.
WR DJ Moore will be in Chicago for the next 6 seasons
Bears Agree To Terms With Odunze, Williams Before Camp
July 18, 2024, 9:09 PM CDT
Well, it's been a while since I've written anything here. And it's also been a couple of days since this news broke. But I just returned from a two-week vacation in Italy, and now that Training Camp is officially starting tomorrow, it's time to get back to business. As broken on Tuesday, Rome Odunze and Caleb Williams agreed to and signed their rookie contracts. Rome signed his on Tuesday while Caleb formally put pen to paper on Wednesday.
Rome signed for a $22.7 million fully-guaranteed rookie deal, complete with a $13.3 million signing bonus and the standard fifth-year option. He heads into camp behind veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen on the depth chart, but will still get a lot of game time. His signature was announced officially by the team shortly after the deal was reported.
Caleb's contract details broke later that day, as it was announced he was signing a $39.49 million contract with a $25.5 million signing bonus and again, the standard fifth-year option for first-round picks. His deal, however, would not be announced until Wednesday, which began much speculation surrounding why that was. The most likely scenario was that they had to finish up some final language in the contract, even though the terms had already been agreed to. It was kind of fun to see people freak out and the anti-Caleb crowd resurface for a bit, but luckily they shushed once it was officially announced that he had signed.
Rookies already reported to training camp on Tuesday, and the veterans will report tomorrow to officially kick off the 2024 Bears camp. Hard Knocks will be on the scene filming all of it, and the first episode of that will be released on August 6th, a little under a week after the Hall of Fame Game, where the Bears will take on the Houston Texans in Canton, Ohio, on August 1st. That game will start at 7 PM Central time and will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN.
Caleb Williams signing his rookie contract (picture via Chicago Bears)
Bears Selected For 2024 Edition of 'Hard Knocks'
May 30, 2024, 4:58 PM CDT
The Bears could not avoid it forever. Despite George McCaskey's past distaste towards the organization being featured, the NFL has selected the Bears for HBO's annual show, 'Hard Knocks', which will bring camera crews inside Halas Hall throughout Training Camp. As fans, we will be getting an up-close look at the operations of the Bears, something we've wanted to see for a long time.
The first episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears will air on August 8, 2024, at 8 PM Central time on HBO, with new episodes premiering each Tuesday after that.
Caleb Williams and the Bears will be featured on Hard Knocks for his rookie training camp
The 2024 Bears Schedule Has Released
May 15, 2024, 8:08 PM CDT
It's that time of year again! The final major day in the main portion of the NFL offseason has arrived, that being schedule release day! We've known for a long time who the Bears will play and where they will play them at, but we didn't quite know the order back then. Now, we know the order that Caleb Williams and the Bears will be playing these teams.
Week 1: 9/8 vs Titans 12 PM [Soldier Field] - FOX
Week 2: 9/15 @ Texans 7:20 PM [NRG Stadium] - NBC (Sunday Night Football)
Week 3: 9/22 @ Colts 12 PM [Lucas Oil Stadium] - CBS
Week 4: 9/29 vs Rams 12 PM [Soldier Field] - FOX
Week 5: 10/6 vs Panthers 12 PM [Soldier Field] - FOX
Week 6: 10/13 vs Jaguars 8:30 AM [Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] - NFL Network (London Games)
Week 7: Bye Week
Week 8: 10/27 @ Commanders 12 PM [FedEx Field] - CBS
Week 9: 11/3 @ Cardinals 3:05 PM [State Farm Stadium] - CBS
Week 10: 11/10 vs Patriots 12 PM [Soldier Field] - FOX
Week 11: 11/17 vs Packers 12 PM [Soldier Field] - FOX
Week 12: 11/24 vs Vikings 12 PM [Soldier Field] - FOX
Week 13: 11/28 @ Lions 11:30 AM [Ford Field] - CBS (Thanksgiving)
Week 14: 12/8 @ 49ers 3:25 PM [Levis Stadium] - FOX
Week 15: 12/16 @ Vikings 7 PM [US Bank Stadium] - ABC (Monday Night Football)
Week 16: 12/22 vs Lions 12 PM [Soldier Field] - FOX
Week 17: 12/26 vs Seahawks 7:15 PM [Soldier Field] - Prime Video (Thursday Night Football)
Week 18: 1/4 OR 1/5 @ Packers [Lambeau Field] - TBD
It's a relatively easy schedule for the Bears, but the surprising thing is that there are no divisional games until Week 11, and our home and away affairs are often clumped together, such as going almost a full month between Weeks 13-15 without a home game, which follows up Weeks 10-12 which are all at home. A lot of games in the noon slot as well, which I prefer. I'll come out with game-by-game predictions as we get closer to the season.
Here is the preseason schedule as well, for your convenience:
Preseason Week 0: 8/1 vs Texans 7 PM [Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium] - ESPN/ABC (Hall of Fame Game)
Preseason Week 1: 8/10 @ Bills TBD [Highmark Stadium] - FOX Chicago
Preseason Week 2: 8/17 vs Bengals 12 PM [Soldier Field] - FOX Chicago
Preseason Week 3: 8/22 @ Chiefs 6:20 PM [GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium] - FOX Chicago
Caleb Williams will make his NFL Debut against the Tennessee Titans on September 8 at Soldier Field
Bears Trading QB Justin Fields To Steelers
March 16, 2024, 7:32 PM CDT
The Bears have made another trade, this time being an even bigger one than the last. After months of online debate in what was tabbed by some as the "Bears Civil War," Justin Fields has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They will be acquiring a conditional 2025 4th Round Pick that becomes a 2025 6th Round Pick if Fields does not play 51%+ of snaps for the Steelers next season. The Steelers have already said that Russell Wilson will be the starter and Fields will be the backup, which honestly feels kind of wrong because I still believe Fields should be a starter in the league.
Fields went 11-28 as a starter for the Bears across 3 seasons, throwing for 6,674 yards and 40 touchdowns to 30 interceptions. With the Bears holding the number one pick and having a talent like Caleb Williams coming out, it just wasn't enough to stick with Justin for the future. He now gets a chance to refresh his career in Pittsburgh. In a goodbye Tweet to Chicago, he wrote, "Can't say thank you enough to the city of Chicago for taking me in and embracing me." Well, Justin, thank you for everything you did for us. You weren't given the proper opportunity to succeed, and I wish you well in Pittsburgh. The moment we drafted you was one of the best I've had running this page, and it is kind of sad it didn't work out. Hopefully, you can get a ring in the future (just not facing Chicago in the Bowl).
Justin Fields is now a Pittsburgh Steeler
Bears Acquiring Star WR Keenan Allen From Chargers
March 14, 2024, 9:20 PM CDT
The Chicago Bears' quiet offseason has just awoken out of nowhere. Ryan Poles and co. have made a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers to acquire Keenan Allen for a fourth-round pick. The deal leaves them with just four picks in the upcoming draft.
Allen is coming off his best season since 2017, even though he played in only 13 games. He recorded 108 catches for 1,243 yards and 7 touchdowns, including having a 215 receiving-yard game vs Minnesota and a 175-yard game vs the Lions. Allen will now pair up with DJ Moore as the Bears form one of the best WR duos in the entire league.
The Bears have acquired Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers
Bears Reportedly Agree To Terms With RB D'Andre Swift
March 11, 2024, 7:16 PM CDT
With the legal tampering period for NFL Free Agency opening today, the Bears decided to get a jump on things immediately and sign former Lions and Eagles Running Back D'Andre Swift to a 3 Year contract worth $24 million for an AAV of $8 million a year. I was not super fond of this signing at first, but as the RB market proceeded throughout the day and more dominos fell, I became happier with this contract. I'll break it down more tomorrow over on my perspectives tab, so stay tuned for that.
Locking down Swift means the Bears' main backfield is pretty much set for 2024, as they will likely run an RB by-committee setup with Swift, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson. Adding Swift also gets the Bears a pass-catching back which they have been missing really since Tarik Cohen was healthy and playing. Last year Swift ran for 1049 yards on 229 carries for 5 touchdowns while playing the most amount of games in his career, He has 1412 receiving yards and 8 receiving touchdowns across his four-year career as well. He likely would've seen the endzone more in Philly had they not ran the tush push every time they got to the one-yard line.
I don't expect the Bears to make another signing tonight, but if they do I will have an article out on that almost immediately with a breakdown tomorrow.
The Bears have signed former Lions and Eagles RB D'Andre Swift
Bears Plug Free Safety Hole With Signing of Kevin Byard
March 10, 2024, 5:30 PM CDT
The Bears have found their replacement for Eddie Jackson. Well, at least for the short term. Today they agreed to terms with Free Agent Free Safety Kevin Byard on a 2-year, $15 million deal ($7.5 million AAV). While the legal tampering period does not open until 11 AM Central tomorrow, the Bears were able to host Byard for a visit on Saturday and agree to terms with him today as he was released by the Eagles rather than hit the market on an expiring contract.
Byard was a third-round pick by the Titans out of Middle Tennessee in 2016, and he remained in Tennessee until this past season when the Eagles acquired him during the season. He had a down year in Philly which is what led to his release, but before this season he had been playing great with two Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pros in 2017 and 2021 with the Titans. His PFF grades were also pretty solid this year, along with the fact that he comes at a cheaper price. He enters Chicago with 130 games played across 8 seasons, with 28 interceptions, 66 pass deflections, 4 force fumbles, 748 tackles, and one career touchdown. He has only missed one game in his 8 seasons, which came this past year as he was transitioning from Tennessee to Philly.
With the signing of Byard, the Bears now have their secondary squared away for 2024. They may draft a guy at Free Safety who can develop behind and take over for Byard in two years, but the starting group for next season is set heading into tomorrow's legal tampering free agency period. The addition of Byard should also help out with the young secondary, as aside from Jaylon Johnson, the starting secondary was filled with either rookies or second-year players.
The Bears have signed former Titans and Eagles Free Safety Kevin Byard
Bears Give Star Corner Jaylon Johnson Four-Year Extension
March 7, 2024, 4:23 PM CST
Just two days ago, the Bears placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Now, just about 48 hours later, the Bears have signed the star corner to a four-year extension to keep him in Chicago through the 2027 season.
Johnson and the team negotiated before the season and during the season on a new deal. Things weren't lining up with each other's interests at the time, and Jaylon requested a trade before the deadline. The Bears held onto him, and now he gets a big payday to remain in the Windy City. Over the four years, he will make $76 million with $54.4 million guaranteed. This breaks down to a $19 million average annual value, though the deal is heavily frontloaded. Jaylon will make $28 million next season and $16 million in the three years following, meaning we will keep financial flexibility over the next few seasons to be able to spend on free agents, whether it be our guys or upgrading by taking another teams' player.
Jaylon had been a good corner over his first three seasons, but he really stepped into the elite, upper echelon of corners this past season. He was named to his first Pro Bowl and made Second-Team All-Pro, posting four interceptions (he had just one before this season), 10 PBUs, 1 TFL and FF, 36 tackles, and a pick-six. Quarterbacks had just a 26.2 passer rating when targeting Johnson in single coverage which was the lowest figure among corners in 2023. With this deal being done before the legal tampering window even opened, Johnson now has the rest of the offseason to focus on other things and step his game up even more.
The Bears have inked CB Jaylon Johnson to a four-year contract extension
Bears Place Franchise Tag on Jaylon Johnson
March 5, 2024, 5:36 PM CST
The expected move happened today for the Bears as the franchise tag deadline was at 3 PM Central Time. The team placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Star Cornerback Jaylon Johnson. This is similar to the regular franchise tag, though it will allow other teams to negotiate with Jaylon if he and the Bears cannot agree to a long-term deal by the time the free agency window opens. If Jaylon agrees to terms with another team, the Bears will have the opportunity to match that offer. However, if they don't choose to match the offer, the other team will surrender two first-round picks to the Bears. To me, this makes it seem like Johnson will remain a Bear as I doubt a team would be willing to part ways with two future firsts.
Bears GM Ryan Poles did say at his Combine press conference that talks were going well with Jaylon, so we could see a long-term deal done sooner rather than later. This is just a precautionary move just to ensure security and not let Jaylon leave on the open market. The two sides will have until July 15th to negotiate a long-term deal before the tag locks for 2024.
The Bears have franchise tagged star CB Jaylon Johnson
Bears Acquire Ryan Bates In Trade With Buffalo
March 4, 2024, 9:31 PM CST
One of Ryan Poles' first free-agent signings as Bears GM was OL Ryan Bates. Or at least, that was supposed to be one of his first signings. Instead, Buffalo matched the 4-year, $17 million offer that Poles made to the then RFA Bates and he returned to the Bills. Now, he finally joins Chicago as the Bears give up a 5th Round Pick in this year's draft to get him. With this trade, the Bears are now left with just five picks in this year's draft, pending a future Justin Fields trade and possible trade downs from current draft picks.
Bates was the Bills starting Right Guard in 2022, the year after Poles tried to sign him. He posted a 61.8 PFF grade that year before becoming Buffalo's backup Center this past season and finished with a 78.7 PFF grade in just 35 snaps. With Lucas Patrick set to leave in Free Agency, Cody Whitehair already being cut, and a history of injuries to both Nate Davis and Teven Jenkins, Bates could be a nice get, especially for just a fifth-round pick. He will be in the mix to be our starting center next year but can play every O-Line position.
The Bears have added OL depth and versatility with Ryan Bates in trade with Bills
Hester, McMichael, Peppers Receive Hall of Fame Nod
February 8, 2024, 6:27 PM CST
NFL Honors Night was last night, and like every year, the Hall of Famers for this upcoming Class (2024) were selected. Now, we've known for a few days that Devin Hester, Steve McMichael, and Julius Peppers were expected to get in. But it was made official tonight as the three former Bears all heard their names called for the Hall. Let's break them down.
Devin Hester has been on the ballot for three years now, and despite us Bears fans expecting the greatest return man ever to be elected to the hall in his first two years of eligibility, he was snubbed. Finally, Hester made it into the Hall this year as a member of the Class of 2024. He played 11 seasons in the league, 8 of which with the Bears. He set multiple records both as a rookie and overall in his career returning the ball on kickoffs and punt returns. He scored 18 times on returns as a Bear (13 punts, 5 kickoffs), including a famous opening kickoff return touchdown vs the Colts in Super Bowl 41, which to this day remains the only opening kickoff to be returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. He did that as a rookie mind you. He made teams gameplan to kick away from him, especially after having 11 return touchdowns in his first two seasons. He broke Deion Sanders' punt return touchdown record as a member of the Falcons, scoring number 14 on a Thursday Night Football game in 2015. This would be Hester's last return touchdown ever.
Hester isn't the only longtime Bear to get selected to the Hall of Fame. Steve McMichael was named as a committee finalist to the Hall and was selected as a member of this year's class. McMichael has been fighting ALS over the past few years, but despite his condition deteriorating in recent times, he gets to see himself selected for the Hall. Sam Borden of ESPN wrote a great article on McMichael and his Hall of Fame selection today, I'll link it right here. McMichael spent 13 out of his 15-year NFL career in Chicago, racking up 814 tackles, 92.5 sacks, and 12 force fumbles as a Bear. He was crucial to the 1985 Bears' Defense and their Super Bowl run as one of the team's starting Defensive Tackles. After retirement from football, McMichael became a Pro Wrestler for the WWE (at the time known as WWF) and then joined World Championship Wrestling from 1995-1999.
The final former Bear to be selected to the Hall this year is Julius Peppers. Unlike the other two, Peppers did not spend the majority of his career in Chicago, spending four seasons here, three in Green Bay, and ten in Carolina. Despite already being 30 when he came to Chicago, Peppers still dominated in his four seasons in the Windy City, racking up 175 tackles, 37.5 sacks, and 10 force fumbles as a Bear.
The final game of the NFL season is on Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Super Bowl 58, taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. I am predicting a 49ers victory, however, you can never count out Patrick Mahomes.
Devin Hester has finally made the Pro Football Hall of Fame after three years of waiting
Bears Finalizing Hires of Eric Washington and Kerry Joseph
January 27, 2024, 9:53 AM CST
The Bears are continuing to fill out the Coaching staff. Yesterday, they announced the hire of Kerry Joseph, a former NFL Safety and CFL QB, to be our Quarterbacks Coach. He was the Assistant QB Coach with Shane Waldron in Seattle these past two years. He started coaching in 2016 at the college level before moving to the NFL with Seattle, originally as Assistant WR Coach before moving to his Assistant QB Coach position after one season. He will be tasked to develop either Justin Fields, Drake Maye, or Caleb Williams, assuming one of those guys will be our QB next season, along with Tyson Bagent who aims to build off a surprising rookie season. The bigger hire, perhaps, is Eric Washington, the Bills D-Line Coach and Assistant Head Coach who comes over to fill our vacant Defensive Coordinator position, which has been open since Alan Williams resigned after Week 2. Washington began his NFL Coaching Career in Chicago in 2008 as our Assistant D-Line Coach before becoming the D-Line Coach in 2010. He left for Carolina after that year, staying there until 2019 in a variety of roles, finishing out as their Defensive Coordinator in 2018 and 2019. He then went to Buffalo and stayed there from 2020 to this year, serving primarily as their D-Line Coach but also in a few other roles as well. Matt Eberflus will still reportedly call plays, but Washington will oversee the entire defense. We'll see how these hires pan out.
No word yet on when or even whether or not the Bears plan to introduce these new coaches at a press conference, including Shane Waldron who was hired on Wednesday.
Eric Washington is our new DC while Kerry Joseph (not pictured) will work with the Quarterbacks
Bears Finalizing Hire of Shane Waldron to be New OC
January 22, 2024, 6:20 AM CST
Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus got to work early this morning, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero has reported that the team is finalizing a deal to hire Seahawks OC Shane Waldron. He left Seattle after Pete Carroll left their Head Coach position.
Waldron took over in Seattle in 2021 as their offensive coordinator. He immediately had a great impact on Russell Wilson in his final year in Seattle, as Russ hasn't even come close to the success he had in his final year with the Broncos. Waldron is also credited with reviving the career of Geno Smith and maximizing the players in that offense with unique personnel packages and play designs. The Seahawks offense did regress a little this season, but a lot of that is due to the O-Line which was pretty weak to begin with but also sustained a lot of injuries. Their 2022 offense ranked 13th in total yards, 11th in passing yards, 18th in rushing yards, and 9th in points scored. Even looking more advanced in 2023, the Seahawks offense ranked 10th in EPA/play, 10th in Success Rate, 10th in dropback EPA, and 14th in rush EPA.
Prior to joining Seattle in 2021, Waldron spent three seasons with the Rams as their Tight Ends Coach, Pass Game Coordinator, and Quarterbacks coach. The candidates for the OC position were heavily from the Shanahan and McVay trees, with Waldron coming from the latter but not exactly being a McVay clone. The runner-up to Waldron was Zac Robinson, the Rams Pass Game Coordinator and QB Coach who I had ranked high among my favorite candidates. Waldron runs a pass-heavy offense focused on quick passing and setting up the run. Sorry Bears fans, Waldron does run a lot of screens but not the extent Getsy ran them.
Waldron was ranked as the 10th-best offensive play-caller in the NFL in 2023, which took into account how effective he was. For reference, Luke Getsy ranked 27th. This move doesn't seem to be moving the needle on the quarterback decision quite yet. I tend to think it leans more toward Caleb as the offense Waldron runs focuses on a lot of Justin Fields' weaknesses. However, I don't think it moves the needle to a point where you can make a definite call based on this hire. Drake Maye honestly fits this offense better than either Fields or Williams. But I don't think that means we are taking Maye, and maybe our QB Coach hire will reveal who it will be. If you want to see all the candidates the Bears requested, along with keeping track with the Defensive Coordinator candidates, scroll down for that information.
The Bears have their new OC - Shane Waldron
Bears Coordinator Search: 2024
January 2024
This will be the tracker for the Bears coordinator search for the 2024 season as they look to replace Luke Getsy and most of his offensive staff, along with finding a permanent replacement for Alan Williams.
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Offensive Coordinator - Replacing: Luke Getsy (Fired)
Hired - Shane Waldron
Interviews:
- Shane Waldron (Seahawks OC)
- Klint Kubiak (49ers Pass Game Coordinator)
- Liam Coen (Kentucky OC/QB Coach)
- Greg Olson (Seahawks QB Coach)
- Greg Roman (Former Ravens OC)
- Thomas Brown (Panthers OC)
- Marcus Brady (Former Colts OC)
- Zac Robinson (Rams Pass Game Coordinator/QB Coach)
- Kliff Kingsbury (USC QB Coach - Former Cardinals HC)
Blocked Interviews:
- Kellen Moore (Chargers OC)
Offensive Staff (non-OC) Interviews:
- Kerry Joseph (Seahawks Assistant QB Coach)
- Sanjay Lal (Seahawks WR Coach/Pass Game Coordinator) Withdrew from Consideration
- Chad Morton (Seahawks RB Coach)
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QB Coach - Replacing: Andrew Janocko (Fired)
Hired: Kerry Joseph
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RB Coach - Replacing: Omar Young/David Walker (Fired)
Hired: Chad Morton
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WR Coach - Replacing: Tyke Tolbert (Fired)
Hired: Chris Beatty
Interviews:
- Chris Beatty (Chargers WR Coach)
- Ike Hilliard (Auburn co-Offensive Coordinator)
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Assistant TE Coach - Replacing: Tim Zetts (Fired)
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Defensive Coordinator - Replacing: Alan Williams (Resigned - Week 2)
Hired: Eric Washington
Interviews:
- Chris Harris (Titans CB Coach/Pass Game Coordinator - Former Bears Player and Coach)
- Terrell Williams (Titans D-Line Coach/Assistant Head Coach - Senior Bowl Head Coach this year)
- Eric Washington (Bills Assistant Head Coach/D-Line Coach)
- Joe Barry (Former Packers DC)
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Pass Game Coordinator
Hired: Thomas Brown
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Assistant O-Line Coach
Hired - Jason Houghtaling
Shane Waldron was the first candidate the Bears requested to interview this offseason