Trade fate: Curse of Johnny Morris strikes again as Moore shuffles off to Buffalo
One of the more heartwarming scenes in the otherwise misleading Bears version of “Hard Knocks” was when Ryan Poles called D.J. Moore into his office to sign a $110-million contract extension.
That happened in Episode 1. As the decision is made, team president Kevin Warren says: “It's a win-win. This looks very fair for both parties. It's the right thing to do.”
Later in Episode 5, narrator Liev Schreiber speaks an ominous line over scenes of Moore's family moving into a new house.
“D.J. Moore's new contract means Chicago is home,” Schreiber intoned, as only he can. “He and his family have found a perfect new place to settle in.”
That contract is a one of the reasons Moore is on the move, reportedly headed to the Buffalo Bills for a 2026 second-round draft pick, while the Bears are also sending out a fifth-rounder.
Schreiber, an actor by trade, has a history with horror movies, so he should have known Moore was stepping into a haunted scenario. Specifically, the Curse of Johnny Morris.
At some point in Bears history, someone or something decided no one was allowed to pass Morris' team record for career receiving yards, which stands at 5,059. Morris retired from the Bears in 1967, and from the Channel 2 sports desk in 1996. Still, his achievements cast a dark shadow over the Bears receivers room.
Alshon Jeffery was on pace to become the Bears receiving yards leader. So were Curtis Conway, Brandon Marshall, Marty Booker, Allen Robinson. No one stuck around long enough to cross the goal line.
As he and his family shuffle across the Great Lakes to Buffalo, Moore is perched at No. 17 among Bears receiving leaders. He likely would have passed Morris had he finished out that contract in Chicago.
Between Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland and Luther Burden Jr., someone on the current roster should be able to reach 5,060 yards, especially paired with an electric quarterback like Caleb Williams. But an invisible force always seems to get in the way.
No disrespect to Morris, or second-place Harlon Hill, who played for the Bears from 1954-61, but 5,059 is a minuscule number for a franchise leader in receiving yards. It's 22% of Jerry Rice's NFL record of 22,895 yards.
The list of NFL receiving yard leaders on pro-football-reference.com only includes the top 250, and Morris isn't on it. The Packers have 14 players with more receiving yards. Moore topped Morris’ number when he played in Carolina.
Anyway, this should be a pretty good trade for the Bears, getting a second-round pick and unloading Moore's $24.9 million salary. Between this, Drew Dalman's retirement and the impending release of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, the Bears created some much-needed cap space.
So what's next? A trade for Raiders edge Maxx Crosby? Signing free-agent center Tyler Linderbaum? Keep in mind, the goal at Halas Hall should be to build a long-term championship contender, not create a “Super Bowl or bust” scenario that sends the Bears into salary-cap purgatory.
That means big, expensive names aren’t necessarily the correct move. Using draft capital in a strong year for centers, safeties and wide receivers could be the smarter path. The Bears could spend their first two picks on the defensive line and still get solid candidates at those other three spots, in theory.
The question remains, though: What will it take to end the Curse of Johnny Morris? The Bears could simply ask him, Morris turned 90 last fall.
He was a renowned horse-racing fan, so maybe the answer is to take land owned by the football team and rebuild Arlington Park. A flower portrait of Morris in the infield might be enough to end the curse once and for all.