Wide receiver DJ Moore sent a relatable tweet when news dropped about the Panthers including him in their trade with the Bears for the No. 1 draft pick.
The Panthers took a huge swing to find their franchise quarterback by trading with the Bears for the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. They had to give up their best wide receiver to do it.
DJ Moore was included in the trade package that put Carolina at the top of the draft order, and his inclusion was apparently key to getting the deal done now. It’s not clear if he found out with the rest of us or had prior knowledge, but his reaction to the trade was iconic either way.
The wide receiver dropped two shocked face emojis and left it at that.
DJ Moore should be key addition in Bears Panthers trade
Moore may have been surprised by the move but it’s one that should work in his favor. Carolina’s offense didn’t give him enough opportunities to shine, even as he caught 63 passes for 888 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the team in receiving.
Now, instead of dealing with a rookie quarterback, Moore will be tasked with helping to unlock all of Justin Fields’ potential alongside receivers like Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool.
For the Bears, he’s an instant lead receiver with a strong history of productivity at nearly 26 years old.
The former first-round pick racked up 788 yards as a rookie in 2018 then went on to post three-straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Panthers despite an unsettled quarterback situation. He went from catching passes from Cam Newton to Kyle Allen to Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold to Baker Mayfield and still consistently performed.
As for the Panthers, they will need to hope giving up Moore doesn’t backfire on them. Plenty in the NFL World doubt them on that front. Landing a franchise quarterback is the ultimate positive outcome but that passer won’t have a wide receiver of Moore’s quality to lean on initially.
