Justin Fields describes moment he found out Bears traded for D.J. Moore
When the Chicago Bears acquired receiver D.J. Moore from the Carolina Panthers in a blockbuster trade that involved the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Justin Fields was taking a nap.
He woke up to many text messages and missed calls, and of course, the news that general manager Ryan Poles had went out and landed him a legitimate, game-changing new No. 1 receiver.
“I woke up from my nap and saw that it happened, people were blowing up my phone like I just got traded,” Fields told reporters on Tuesday. “Everybody was excited. D.J. brings great talent to this team and just his personality fits in well with everybody really from the first day he got here.”
Only 26, Moore already has already three seasons with 1,100 or more receiving yards. He averaged 123 targets, nearly 73 receptions and 1,040 yards receiving in his first five seasons with the Panthers.
The accomplished wideout is the crown jewel of Chicago’s offseason, bolstering a Bears receiver group that also features Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Velus Jones Jr. and rookie fourth-round pick Tyler Scott.
Chicago also added Robert Tonyan to pair with Cole Kmet in the tight end room, giving Fields the best group of pass catchers he has had since he joined the Bears two seasons ago — a clear sign the front office is committed to building a team around Fields, with the quarterback serving as franchise centerpiece.
“It’s awesome for me getting that trust from the coaching staff,” Fields explained. “You guys don’t see it, but we communicate here all the time, we trust each other fully. Just having them behind me, they know the kind of leader I am to my teammates, they know how great I want to be, the work I put in. It’s just great to have them behind my back for sure.”
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