Bears Receiver Ripped By Stephen A. Smith For Avoiding Media

Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore caught substantial slack for his lack of effort in the team’s final offensive play of the season, where LA Rams safety Kamren Curl undercut his route and made the pick on quarterback Caleb Williams, effectively ending their season then and there.

And after the game, Moore was not at his locker to speak to reporters – nor was he available at clean-out on Monday, the following day.

When a play goes wrong due to a miscommunication or error, it is often expected thought to be good form to stand and speak to the media, and answer their questions about what happened – giving an explanation, and perhaps even an apology to the fans.

D.J. Moore Lamented For Lack of Accountability After Loss

Moore did neither, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was less than thrilled at the 8th year wideout’s lack of availability and public accountability.

“Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you know how to be a professional.” Smith said on First Take on Wednesday. And when you got guys that can’t take it, that just shows you got a lot of folks out here — and I’m not calling him that — who are mental midgets. They just can’t take it.

“And in the case of D.J. Moore, 4 years $110 million – $82.6 million guaranteed. You probably ran the wrong route or whatever, you don’t want to sit up there and own it, you don’t want to talk about it – that’s not good.”

As Smith says – particularly for a player who has earned nearly $65 million in Chicago, and over $96 million over the course of his career – it is most certainly a bad look that he did not take the time to speak to the press after the loss.

What does D.J. Moore’s Future Look Like With the Chicago Bears?

Perhaps D.J. Moore’s actions at the end of the season would have been less egregious to fans if he had not also had his statistically worst season to date, and certainly his least impressive since arriving in the MidWest.

Moore and 2024 first round pick Rome Odunze were primed to be a lethal tandem for Williams heading into the season, but neither managed to produce on a consistent basis in 2025.

With 682 receiving yards, Moore posted the lowest total of his career in 2025 – although only rookie, Colston Loveland surpassed that total on the Bears this past season, with 713.

Moving forward, having seen the decline in the former Carolina Panthers‘ play, it would not be shocking to see Moore be cut in the near future. But 2026 will likely not be the year for that:

The Bears incur a $35.5 million dead cap hit if they release him this offseason, and whilst they could save considerably more by trading him in the offseason, it feels like the number of suitors after this past season will not be sky-high.

In theory, either eventuality is possible, and it could turn into a very noisy, rumor-filled offseason for Moore.

Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas