The Bears have some difficult decisions to make this offseason. They have a few key free agents set to hit the open market (including all five safeties on their roster this season and Pro Bowl cornerback Nahshon Wright) and sit at roughly $15 million over the cap.
They'll have to make some room if they want to make any noise in free agency (or ahead of it when it comes to bringing back some of their own). Naturally, since we've now entered the prime season of trade speculation, many expect a handful of current Bears to be on the move to provide some cap relief.
On Gregg Rosenthal's NFL Daily Podcast, he and ESPN journalist Bill Barnwell highlighted 28 intriguing trade candidates to keep an eye on this offseason. Two Bears made the list, with DJ Moore coming in at the second spot and Cole Kmet showing up later at 19.
hit on 9 players traded last year with @billbarnwell. can this list top it? pic.twitter.com/vZSai87mYw
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) February 16, 2026
It's no surprise to see DJ Moore on the list. Many expected him to be a trade candidate this offseason, even before the way the season ended (with some questioning his effort on the interception that ultimately ended the Bears' season). Once that play happened, the pitchforks really came out. The speculation reached fever-pitch levels.
Rosenthal clearly bought into the recent noise. He actually went as far as to say that he would be surprised if Moore didn't get traded this offseason.
Barnwell also mentioned that he thought the potential compensation would be in the third or fourth-round range. I question how he thinks the Raiders would be willing to part ways with Maxx Crosby for someone who is worth that type of value (and one single first-round pick), but that's a story for another day.
Personally, I don't think the Bears would get a third-round pick for Moore, and that's been a major reason why I've argued they should keep him. I think they would get a sixth or maybe a fifth-round pick for him based on how hefty his contract is and the year he just had. It would be more of a salary cap dump than anything else.
While I might be in the pro DJ Moore crowd, I can confidently say that I would be open to a move if they were to get a third-round pick (without giving up anything else in return). That would at least give them an adequate return on investment. Even if Ryan Poles' third-round resume is indicative of throwing darts at a very small dart board while being blindfolded.
Moore appearing on the list wasn't at all surprising, but I was a bit surprised to see Kmet listed at 19. I'm not a fan. It would hurt.
The compensation they'd probably receive for his services would also hurt. Again, if they were to receive a third-round pick for him, I'd be (reluctantly) open to it. That wouldn't happen, though. Not with how many quality tight ends there will be on the open market.
Even beyond his contract, the emotional aspect of moving on from a team leader, and the potential compensation they'd receive for him, Kmet is also someone the Bears should want to keep around from a roster construction perspective. Ben Johnson loves two-tight end sets, and the league is also buying into that mindset. The Bears are well ahead of the curve in that regard, as Kmet and Colston Loveland have already established themselves as one of the league's premier TE duos.
Notably, quarterback Caleb Williams is still rounding out his game. They shouldn't make a concerted effort to trade away his trusted targets in the passing game. Cole Kmet (and, to a slightly lesser extent, DJ Moore) should absolutely be on Chicago's roster in 2026.
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