Chicago: Where receivers still go to ... get cut, traded or let go
- Mark Potash
- 28 minutes ago
- 4 min read
For the record, former Bears wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad has said he was not the inventor of the notion that Chicago "is where receivers go to die," — in response to blowback after he made that comment to Sports Illustrated's Peter King in 2008 upon his return to the Panthers after three seasons in Chicago. Muhammad said he was just referencing the sentiment that someone else brought up when he signed with the Bears in 2005. Whatever the reality, the comment has stuck through the years, because regardless of who came up with it, it's basically true.
Actually, not all receivers have seen their NFL career "die" in Chicago. Brandon Marshall had 1,502 yards and led the NFL with 14 touchdowns with the Jets in 2015 after leaving the Bears. Alshon Jeffery never had another 1000-yard season after leaving the Bears, but he did win a Super Bowl with the Eagles, scoring three touchdowns in the playoff run. Curtis Conway had a 1,125-yard season in 2001 with the Chargers after leaving the Bears. Darnell Mooney regained his lost form with the Falcons in 2024, with 992 receiving yards — only a Week 17 injury prevented him from cracking the 1,000-yard mark.
Still, it's uncanny how Chicago has been a place where receivers go to wither, if not die. And the demise of DJ Moore in his second and third seasons with the Bears — from 1,364 yards in Luke Getsy's offense in 2023 to 682 in Ben Johnson's offense in 2025 — is a reminder of just how uncanny it is that almost without fail, Chicago is a place where wide receivers wither, if not "die."
Johnson's offense that ranked ninth in scoring and sixth in yards figured to be a firewall to the "where receivers go to die" history. In Detroit, Johnson's offense turned Amon-Ra St. Brown into a star — from a team-high 912 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie in 2021 (before Johnson became the offensive coordinator) to Pro Bowl/All-Pro seasons in 2022 (106-1,161, 6 TDs), 2023 (119-1,515, 10 TDs) and 2024 (1215-1,263, 12 TDs) in three seasons with Johnson as the offensive coordinator.
If Johnson's offense could do that with a fourth-round draft pick, there was no telling how much Moore could flourish with the Bears. He was already an established No. 1 wide receiver with the Panthers and Bears, with four 1000-yard seasons. His versatility as a run-after-catch receiver who could go deep seemed tailor-made for Johnson's offense.
Moore had caught 1,000 yards or more with five different quarterbacks — past-his-prime Cam Newton (88-1,135), Kyle Allen (73-1,081), Teddy Bridgewater (56-1,009), before-his-prime Sam Darnold (87-1,200) and Justin Fields (72-1,109). Caleb Williams, No. 1 overall draft pick, in his second season and in the hands of Johnson arguably could bedome the best quarterback Moore had ever played with. Even if Moore's overall numbers went down in a share-the-wealth offense, he still figured to be the go-to guy. After eight seasons in the NFL in bad offenses with mediocre quarterbacks, this was his time. Johnson's offense is where receivers go to thrive.
But it wasn't to be. Moore was generally productive and made his share of big plays — including game-winning touchdowns against the Packers in the regular season and playoffs at Soldier Field. But he lacked chemistry with Williams and had career-low marks in receptions (50), yards (682) and yards per game (40.1). That was almost exactly half his production in his first season with the Bears with Fields and Tyson Bagent in 2023, when he had 96 receptions for 1,364 yards.
Moore, who turns 29 on April 14, figures to flourish with the Bills, where he'll be the singular No. 1 receiving target going into the 2026 season, just as he was when he joined the Bears in 2023 and responded with a stellar season. And he'll have Josh Allen throwing to him, in an offense that, without a legitimate No. 1 receiver, ranked fourth in the NFL in points and yards in 2025.
As for the Bears, they're still looking for a receiver who will produce with staying power. Rome Odunze showed potential to be that guy in 2025 (44-661, 6 TDs) but remains unproven as a No. 1 receiver heading into 2026. Luther Burden seems like a player most likely to blossom in Johnson's offense, but more in a complementary role than a leading one. Loveland had modest numbers overall after a slow start as a rookie (58-713, six touchdowns). But at this point he has the highest upside of anyone. In the Bears last four games (including the playoffs) Loveland had 48 targets, 28 receptions, 378 yards (94.5 per game) and two touchdowns.
But he's still a tight end. It remains to be seen if a wide receiver can thrive here long term. With Moore's demise and exit, every Bears receiver with 1,000 or more yards in a season in the Super Bowl era has left on a low note, and in his prime — except Jeff Graham who left the Bears as a free agent at 27 after a breakout season (82-1,301, 4 TDs) in 1995.
But even Graham's departure has been all too typical of the Bears. All 10 of their 1,000-yard receivers in the Super Bowl era have been gone before turning 30 — except Brandon Marshall, who was traded to the Jets at 31 in 2015. The Bears, in fact, are the only franchise in the NFL without a 30-something player with 1,000 or more yards in a season.