Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - James 'Big Cat' Williams reacts to Bears' trade of DJ Moore to Bills (Hour 2)

Episode Date: March 5, 2026

In the second hour, Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote were joined by former Bears offensive lineman James “Big Cat” Williams to react to Chicago agreeing to trade receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. After that, Rahimi and Grote opened up the phone lines for Score listeners to sound off on the Bears’ trade of Moore to the Bills.

Gone South has been a podcast about crime in the American South. But for our new season, we're widening the lens. Follow and listen to Gone South Season 5, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows. He's such a smart and versatile player. I think that's something that gets overlooked at times. He's a guy that we felt strongly in terms of he could play any position. We could put him in any spot in terms of the route tree that we could ask him to

do. And so it's really invaluable when you look at it. He's such a good player. He has been his entire career. I still remember him evaluating his tape coming out of Maryland. That was an easy one. You know, you knew he was going to be a heck of a pro, and that's what he's been. What I didn't know was just what a great teammate he would be. And he legitimately wants the guys around him to do well. He wants to win, and he loves the city of Chicago. That is Ben Johnson talking to Fox 32 about DJ Moore and what he brought to the team. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 104.3, the score with the breaking news that happened about 204 minutes ago that DJ Moore is reportedly being traded to the Buffalo Bills that per Adam Schaefter.

And now we go to our hotline. That is where we find our friend, former Bears defensive and offensive lineman James Big Cat Williams, who joins us. James, we thought we were going to talk to you about the Drew Dalman News. We'll do that too, but lo and behold, we have some breaking news. What are your thoughts about this happening? How are you guys? We're gathering ourselves. Yeah, that's right. We knew something could happen, but it still hits you in a certain way, right, Big Cat? Yeah, it does. I mean, you think about DJ and you think about a guy that when they brought him in, He was immediately an impact player.

He was immediately someone in that locker room that the younger players were able to look up to and go to for advice and, you know, different things like that. So, you know, knowing that he's leaving now, knowing that he's going to be traded, it's going to clear up some cap room for the bears, for them to do other things, whether it be at the center position, whether it be at the tackle position, the defensive line position. You know, it's, and I think it's also a good situation for him, going to Buffalo. You know, it's not like they're sitting in to Cleveland or Las Vegas or somewhere like that where he's got to start all over again with who knows who at quarterback. You know, he's going somewhere where they have a viable quarterback that has a lot of time under his belt, a lot of experience.

and I think you'll fit in well there. This is the kind of heartlessness, the business part of the NFL that James, Big Cat Williams. I know that you knew well from your time playing with the Bears and being in the NFL and being one that covers the league as well. Is that what this is, just kind of the harsh realities of the NFL? That you have a guy like DJ Moore, as I was saying earlier. He goes down as one of the best receivers the Bears have ever had in this franchise, which tells you more about the relativity of the receivers than anything else.

But it's just, it's tough to take, I think, for fans and anybody in the NFL when these things happen. Yeah, well, you know, if you've ever been in an NFL locker room or, you know, on a team, you understand that, you know, this is part of the game, that, you know, nothing is guaranteed, whether, you know, no matter how long you've been tendered at a place, nothing's guaranteed. you can, you know, they can make decisions and you have to live with those decisions. And, you know, you have to move on with your life. So I'm sure DJ is going to do that. This is not the first time that DJ has had to go someplace different.

So, you know, he knows the routine. He knows what he's going to have to go through. He knows what he has to do once he gets to Buffalo as far as getting himself situated. So, yeah, from the outside looking in, it seems like a rough deal, but, you know, like you said earlier, it is something that you deal with being an NFL player. Well, and I think, James, it also is something you deal with when you know you get the contract you dream of, right? You get the third contract, the extension that really solidifies you in the prime of your career, like the case for him. But then that also means a target might be on your back if something changes.

And he was the highest pay player in the team, as we know. and I feel like unfortunately with the bears needing to clear cap space, and now the news with Drew Dalman, I wonder if that also factored in. You get a bit of a target when it also comes to having that designation. Yeah, and you also have to realize that when, you know, Coach Johnson comes in and they bring in a bunch of young wide receivers that are high on his list that are, you know, in his eyes,

exactly what he's looking for. You know, we don't know what he thought about DJ when he came in. I mean, you know, coaches are going to say, you know, I love having this guy here. He's a big part of our locker room. You know, he's a big part of our team. But, you know, being there, knowing a head coach and knowing that they want their people, they want the people that they could put in places that they have designated for them. So, you know, like we said, it's part of the game.

and it's something that you have to deal with. And, you know, it's going to go on forever. I mean, this is not the last person that we're going to probably have to deal with or talk about this offseason as far as either being traded or having to be restructure something. So, you know, a lot of things are going to go on in the next couple months. News break in here on Rahimi Harris and Grotie as we talk to the former Bears Offensive Lyman James Big Cat Williams per ESPN sources. The Bears are working to finalize a trade.

that would send wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. Compensation is still being discussed, and the trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins, which is soon, but both sides are pushing to make this happen. It looks like it could be a mid-round, maybe a third or a fourth-round pick, will wait and give you the details right here on the score. But James, there's also the part two where I don't, I think Lail and I are an agreement that if DJ Moore,

was still with the Bears going in the next year. He's still their best wide receiver. However, however, you do have some developing talent that makes this a little bit more digestible with Luther Burden being there. Colston Loveland was their leading receiver last year. Roma Dunzae did not have a great year, but we know he's got all the talent in the world.

The Bears are going to be okay in terms of their receivers this year even without DJ Moore? Yeah, I think they will. I mean, you know, you go back to last year and you talk, you think about all the conversation being all the riches that they had. You know, you only have one ball. How do you distribute this ball to all these players that you just named Rome, Burden, Loveland, Kemet, Swift? You know, you have all these guys that you're trying to get the ball to. and now you have a situation where, you know, the younger guys have to step up.

You know, with DJ being, with DJ moving on, now these younger players have to step up. They've got to show their worth. You know, who is now your number one receiver? Who's your number two receiver? Who's your slot guy? You know, these are more questions that they're going to have to answer, but it gives the young guys an opportunity to, you know, show their worth, and that's what they're going to have to do in probably a little more of the near future than they'd stop.

James Big Cat Williams joining us on the score, former Bears offensive linemen, former defensive lineman as well. And James, one of the things that I think you brought up that also stands to be discussed in a business way is when a new head coach gets to a team, sometimes there's not always the automatic fit that you would think there would be, or when a quarterback changes a year receiver, the personnel changes. Do you think that this might have also fallen under that because there was just one year spent with Ben Johnson?

It could be. It could be. Like we said, you know, Ben comes into a new situation, a new team. He's the head coach. He has his first draft. He goes out there and he gets players that he feels as though

will fit in his system, as well as with the players that they, imagine that they would keep during the season. And, you know, you never know how a guy fits in until you actually have an opportunity to work with him. Yes, DJ Moore has a great background. Yes, he came from Carolina and, you know, he did all these good things with not-so-good quarterbacks.

Now you have a young quarterback that you feel as though he can help to progress. He can help Caleb get better. He can help him as far as seeing different things in the secondary when they're running routes, their communication, their ability to work together.

Now you have to hope that he was able to pass all that stuff on to Caleb, and Caleb is able to work with your Luther Burden, with your Roma Doomsday, with Loveland, with Comette, and get these things done with those guys and you know kind of a tutoring teaching

session that Moore had is now over and now we're going to watch a bunch of young guys try and pull it all together and you know produce on the field in a way that Ben Johnson wants them to. It's just wild man like I'm thinking about and I understand like free agency

and the draft haven't even occurred right now but in this moment for the Bears coming off an 11 win season and all the holes significant holes that the Bears suddenly have with DJ Moore being traded to the Buffalo Bills today. You have a big opening at left tackle with the injury to Ozzie Tripillo. And now Big Cat, which was the original reason that we had wanted to have you on,

we'll have you on for anything. But Drew Dalman, man. What did you think about that? Drew Dalman all of a sudden deciding to retire at the age of 27? You think about a guy that has only been with the Bears for a year, signed, I think it was a, what, three-year deal, and, you know, was a mainstay in the center of that offensive line, the leader of that offensive line, the guy that puts people where they're supposed to be, that makes the points, that is looking out for the blitz, that is shifting the line. line blocking schemes, whether it be to the left or to the right, or whatever little nuances that needed to be done in that short period of time, that short window that a center has to make his calls, to hear what the snap count is, to snap the ball, to get everybody going

in the right direction. And now you're going to have to start all over again. you know, we saw how last season started as far as, you know, them being able to work together. Now we're going to have to see all over again whether they can get it done as far as those inside guys being able to work together. As far as a player being able to control the whole line and do it at, you know, at the highest level. You think about Tuni, Jackson, you know, now they're going to have to work with a new center. So, you know, we always talk about the ability for an offensive line to work together for a period of time. Now you're starting all over again. The main play caller or the guy who gets everybody situated has now changed.

So now all these guys are going to have to figure out how. how they work with this new center and how good he is, whoever they choose to bring in, at doing his job, making the points, making the shifts, sliding guys in the right direction, seeing what's going on with the defense. So, you know, it's almost like starting all over again. But the good thing is, you know, you have Tuny, you have Jackson,

you have rights. You still have to figure out the left tackle position, but you have a good base if you bring a good center in. We're talking to James Big Cat Williams here on 104 through the score. Brahimi Harrison Grotie with you today. And James, one of the things I've been asking just the offensive lineman that we've talked to about this is your perspective. As we try to figure out why, we may not ever get that answer, and that's understood. But we can understand what goes into it.

Joe Thomas yesterday, the Hall of Famer said part of it could also be simply that. offensive linemen get paid a lot more than they used to. And I'm sorry to have to bring that up because I feel like you would have been one of the offensive linemen who had gotten paid a lot more if you played now. But that you can make 10 years worth of salary now when he was playing or when you were playing in five years time like Drew Dalman had under his career here in the NFL. And maybe sometimes you just feel like you've made enough money to step away. You know, what do you think about the salary aspect of this?

Well, I mean, you know, it's funny because when, When I played, you know, it was the guys who played before me that were always like, man, if we'd have made the money that you guys make now, you know, and it just continues to go on. But, you know, you're able now to make generational wealth. You're able to make enough money now playing a game that can set your family for life. So, you know, understanding that, you know, he also had a father who played in the NFL, who got injured and had to deal with all those things, you know, he knows that whole story. He knows the backstory. He knows the in and out of what goes on in the NFL, whether it be while you're playing or when you're done playing.

So, you know, for him to make that decision, it's, you know, it's not a decision that I could have made, you know, at 27 years old and having the opportunity to still play, you know, what else was I going to do? You know, it was either played football or work construction. So, you know, I'm playing football. And nothing about that. It's funny because even, you know, now, nothing about that for me changes. I still feel as though that, you know, in my mind, I'd have played until I could not play anymore. You, not that there's a knock on construction, because there's a lot of good money to be had in construction. But I think you're also a very good coach. So I feel like we could have come up with other job opportunities for you, just saying.

Yeah, but where could you do what we were able to do on the field out in real life, you know, without being arrested, with somebody putting cuss on you and bringing you over the hood of their car you know so it was the mentality we had it was the mentality that we rolled with you know it was in our everyday lives so you know I and I couldn't say

even knowing now what I know that I've done it any differently yeah yeah no doubt and good for you good for you I appreciate success stories like James Big Cat Williams. We're talking to him right now. If you haven't heard the breaking news, yes, DJ Moore traded or there is a trade in place to move him to the Buffalo Bills. It has not been made official yet, but it certainly looks like it is heading in that exact direction. It appears to be a $16.5 million cap savings, which is huge because then it makes

you start to think about the next move or what it means for the Bears, Big Cat, and one of the names that is out there. I know you've been here. I know you've been in. hearing about it, and that is Max Crosby of all the stuff that has to be fixed on the offensive line. That name is not going to go away until he locks in someplace. What do you think

about Max Crosby, and are the bears better off putting their resources, the big piles of money into the offensive line holes, or somebody who is a game changer like Max Crosby? You know, personally, you already know what direction I'm going. I think you need to

fix what's broke on the offensive line, you need to replace what is now missing. Max Crosby is, you know, I say that's in the most respectful way, you're the freak. You know, he's a guy that goes

out there and he gives you play after play after play of 100 miles an hour or 110 miles an hour. You look at his body lead. You look at the body of work that he has put together and

you know, it would be a nice, it would be something nice to have on the other end of sweat as far as that D-line goes. But, like I said, you're going to fix that off. You want Tyler Linderbaum. That's where you want the money to go. That's what you're thinking about. Just say it.

I actually thought about it. You know what? I would love to see them bring in a player like that, but a guy like Linderbombs is going to be expensive. Yeah. You know, you're not the only team that needs. a pro bowl all pro type center. And at the age that he's at.

So, you know, the bidding war for a guy like that is, I mean, it's going to get up there. It's going to get up there. Well, and that's the part of this that becomes really tricky, is trying to figure out what is the next priority. And I feel like the bears were rich at wide receiver. They had a lot of solid and quality depth at that position. and this solidifies that perhaps they knew they had to make a change on their roster in order to balance another need.

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Let's turn those downloads into revenue. Apply now at creators.odicy.com and start making money from your podcast. Rahimi Harrison Grody. I don't want to break time. I want to yell at person. Can we handle more Anthony Herron? Middays 10 to 2 on 104 3, the score. If you are just joining us, we are following the breaking news for Adam Schaefter and

multiple other reports that the bills and the bears are in. in agreement working to finalize a trade that would send DJ Moore to Buffalo. Compensation still being discussed. Trade can't be processed until the new league year begins, but both sides are pushing to make that happen. We just had James Big Cat Williams on telling us his perspective on not only Drew Dalman's retirement, but DJ Moore being moved as well. We want to get your perspective.

312-644-67 is our number here on Rahimi Harris and Grody. This does with the cap saving. opens the door to other interesting, bigger, maybe even better things like Tyler Linderblum, like Max Crosby as a possibility. That is out there. Do we have some fresh Adam Schaefter here right now? They're working on it. They're working on it.

They're going to tell us when it's ready. I got you. And let me just, before we take some of these calls, 312, 644, 67, 67, right now I'm looking at because I was naming guys off the top of my head, like of the Bears, all-time wide receivers in the top 20. Yes, DJ Moore right now, 17th overall in Bears history with wide receivers. I mentioned Alshan Jeffrey Lela. He is number three. He is number. That's Jeffreys to me. He goes to the Jewels. That's right. I've seen him at the Jules. Many times. The number four receiver for the Chicago Bears is Walter Payton, followed by Mike Ditka. Curtis Conway,

the old USC wide receiver and bear. It is sixth overall. Alan Robinson, who by the way, will be joining us at 1 o'clock today. We just found out our guy, Alan Robinson, will be on the show. He is number 11 currently on the all-time Bears wide receiver list. Brandon Marshall, number 13.

James Scott, back in the 80s, is number 14 overall. Dennis McKinnon, number 20. Cole Commet. Cole Commet is number 19 overall on the Bears' wide receiver list. A couple years ago, he was the team's leading receiver.

He was. So there's that part of it too as well. I think that was the pre-DJ Moore year, as I recall. As text her asked me here, hey, Grotie, this doesn't mean that DJ isn't going to be on DTN. Doesn't necessarily mean that. He could still be on Take the North. I do have a text out to him. We'll see if he responds on this day.

Probably doubtful, but we'll see. 312-644-67 is our number. Here's some more news. This from Jordan Schultz, the NFL reporter. Schultz report on Twitter sources say teams in the trade market have gotten the sense that the Raiders are more open to the idea of trading Max Crosby, and it's a situation that is only going to intensify. He also said, I do not get the sense that the bears are done on the trade market.

Those are two separate posts. Wow. I just want you to know those are two separate posts. Who else would be vulnerable to trade on the Chicago Bears? right well I guess Tremaine probably not I mean he is he is that's not a splash though

trade yeah yeah that's likely going to be a cap casualty who else are we thinking about here who else well it just depends on on who there's which at which position do they feel like they have depth and then at which position do they feel like they could free up enough money you know Cole Cabet was discussed as a possible cap casualty that was in Kevin Fishbane's story

a few days ago because of how his contract is structured So is he possibly next? My first thought when I heard this was because of the fact that this frees up $16.5 million in cap space that this could be freeing up for possible money to get Tyler Linderbaum, the Free Agent Center,

who was tremendous out of Iowa, had a wonderful career so far with Baltimore. So Tom Pelliserro is now reporting that it is a done deal. The bills are sending a 2026 second round pick to the Bears for DJ Moore any 2026 fifth round pick. So I think that that is important to note as well.

Two draft picks for DJ Moore. And now DJ goes to an MVP quarterback in Josh Allen and his former offensive coordinator with the Panthers, Joe Brady, who is now part of the staff, of course, as we know in Buffalo. Big news. The fact that it was a second round pick, despite how high he was paid,

the familiarity with Brady, I'm sure helped. And then now Buffalo has their W. are one. I think that's pretty good. I think that's like, I don't think that's an insulting getback for the bears right there, 2026 second round pretty good and then add in the fifth rounder as well. The way it had been sounding from what I was hearing, it was going to be lesser than that. So it was good to hear. I'll take that. I'll take that for DJ more. So let's go to our phones. 312, 644, 67, 67 here on Rahimi Harrison Grady on the score. We'll do it the next segment as well as we roll through. Let's start with, who should we start with? Jeremy.

in Albany Park. Jeremy, you're on Rahimi Harrison Grotie. Hey, thanks for taking my call. You know, I totally get the business side of this. I just feel like as a Bears fan, it's like we can't have nice things in some ways, and I know that this can free up money. But going into the offseason, I think about players that inspire confidence in DJ Moore, Drew Dalman, and I'm just like riding off the high last season, and I'm like, you know, these are great players,

and I know this makes sense. I totally get it. But DJ Moore, you know, obviously that last, you know, playoff game not so great, but you look at what he did and was just a, I think, a safety net for Caleb Williams. So I think it's going to be a huge loss, and I'm definitely bummed about it. I think you speak for a lot of people, Jeremy. There's a reason why I still thought he was the Bears number one receiver. He was the one who could be trusted the most, especially when the game was on the line.

He was a really good player for the Chicago Bears. Like I said, when the news broke, that was a good. He's the 17th best wide receiver. the franchise has ever had and made monumental historic catches, had some great years when it didn't matter as much, but he was terrific with Justin Fields and a clear number one at that time. I'm still thinking about right now about other bears who potentially could get traded if the reports are correct that the bears could still be willing to deal.

And unfortunately, there's a name that popped up on the text line and the texter is right. Cole Comette has always been vulnerable in this cycle. He'd be an $8.4 million cap savings. We know that Tremaine Edmins, if they can get him off the books, that's another $15 million cap savings right there. And then you go to DeAndre Swift as well, $7.47 million in cap savings. So you've got to look at those three guys right there. Yeah, that's what I was saying about Kevin Fishbane's story

that Cole Commet was mentioned as a possible cap casualty. I kind of thought he was in a safe place now, but then all of a sudden, not so much. Well, I was going to say, I wonder if he gets traded as well. 312, 644, 67 is our number. We go to Colin in Northfield. Colin, you're on Rahimi Harrison Grody. Hey, hey, guys. How's it going?

Good, man. How are you? This call is no longer being recorded. What? Yo. We're recording your call, just so you know. Yeah, we are. We're getting all of it.

No, go ahead, man. What's on your mind? for crying out loud some jagoff while I was waiting told me to hit record because they wanted me to send it to him but thank you for Yeah we can't be saying that on the air so guess what

your buddy and you something was a miss now now released from our care let's go to Tony and Joliet Tony you're on Rahimi Harrison Grody Hey friends Grody Tony!

Love you it was an absolute dagger when I heard it because I believe we had that one guy that was going to we had been but we had gallman and what he did in Kansas City and we got him young and I'm like this guy is awesome he's going to develop Caleb I don't think how we don't realize how important that guy was with what his history is and to be healthy and to be where he was to do that to us I know you guys I know we don't know why he's leaving so you don't want to be saying something

and then look back like, oh, man, I didn't know that. But a guy with that pedigree and background and family background, if there was something else, I think he would have put it out. So we would understand. So nobody's going to be like, oh, you screwed us. Now what are we going to do? He basically took us out of the Max Crosby conversation. It killed us.

And just as our bears are looking like, man, this is looking great. Now all of a sudden, DJ's going to Buffalo where they could be there next year. We could be seeing DJ in the Super Bowl next year, and we're trying to replace players because this guy left us. I feel like he abandoned us. I feel like I don't know how to describe the hurt I have with this because we were flowing towards a couple days ago before this broke, guys. We were a favor to get Max Crosby now.

I don't know how we make that move go. It's just a real sad day. We still got a foundation. I still love our receivers. but man, DJ was our best one. The catches he made in those games were some of the greatest moments in my Chicago Bears history.

And guys, I love you. Just a real hard day for fans. And I just feel like, I just feel like I'd love to know why the guy's leaving. But man, I just say whatever money we can get back off of him, if it turns out he just decided, yeah, I want to be mechanical engineer.

I don't want to do this anymore. Well, you should have known that before he signed with us because we could have done something else. Now we're going to have to get Linder bomb and what are we going to do after that? So yeah, just very disappointing. Thanks for take my call. I love you guys. Show is great as always. Thank you. Tony. See you, buddy. Thanks, Tony. So to summarize, Tony thinks that the Drew Dalman news led to the DJ Moore trade happening or perhaps the bears being more motivated to make it happen. And I don't necessarily

know that that's wrong. I think that it's fair to understand how much of a game changer Drew Dalman's retirement was for the entire scenario, especially given the price of offensive linemen. And let's face it, wide receivers get traded a lot in the NFL. So we understand that as well. Big name receivers switch teams. We just saw Stefan Diggs, by the way, get reportedly released. On the move again.

So this is something that happens where your big name receivers, they travel, unfortunately, just part of the discussion. And Tony, just so you know, because he mentioned like what it means for the bears with the Dolman part. They do save $10 million in Cap room with Dolman having left. Right. So 312, 644, 67 is our number. We are going to forego halftime for this breaking news. DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. We now have the terms of it thanks to Tom Pelliserro telling us a second round pick and a fifth round pick this year. These are both picks this year coming from Buffalo. More with your reaction next. Hi, I'm PJ Vote, and I want to tell you about my podcast search engine.

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Rahimi Harrison Grohers. That sounds so crazy. 104.3, the score. Wow, I like that. Midday's 10 to 2 on 104, 3, the score. How would you reflect on what this season was for you personally and the Bears? For me personally, I would get, like, the season grade. I'd probably get myself like a B minus.

Just because some things didn't go our way this year, but I think everybody played to the best of the ability and what the coaches make. This is for Heaveen Heron Herodian. on 104, 3-3, the score. And we are taking your calls. 312, 64, 64, 67, 67. Tom Pelliserro had the information. It is a fifth round pick,

along with DJ Moore, to the bills for a 2026, second round pick. And then we also get the information, courtesy of people who are crunching the cap numbers, this from over-the-cap.com, that that frees up $16.5 million dollars in cap room for the bears. The bills will take on a $24.5 million salary for DJ Moore and assume of $15.5 million guarantee for 2027.

And he also said that seems risky for the bills. I don't necessarily think so. The MVP quarterback Josh Allen, who is the MVP season before last, now gets a wide receiver one in DJ Moore and the Bears free up some cap room, which clearly seemed like part of the plan. You like the fact that he gave himself a B minus for the season? I think that was pretty appropriate. I might have given him a B if we didn't already do these grades.

but it was his least productive year. There was some games where we were in here the next day saying, where you at, DJ Moore? Where are you? Where'd you go? And then the Cleveland game came along. He makes it a huge play. And it starts to get really good in terms of some of the monumental catches that DJ Moore made.

But he has now gone to the Buffalo Bills. And as Layla told you, second rounder and a fifth rounder coming back this way in the year 2026. I love Tom Pelliserra, but his wording was in. exactly broadcast subject verb object. The fifth rounder is going to the bills as part of the offset. The bills are sending a 2026 second round pick to the bears. Okay. For DJ Moore in a 2026 fifth round pick.

The way he wrote it, like, this is live radio and we're getting a million different piece of information at the same time. So just know that that's something that if we had, I don't know, 10 minutes to sit down with this information and possibly digest it, it would be definitely. But yeah, Pelliserra's wording is a little bit weird there. He's typing as he's seeing this info, too. This is just kind of what happens. But the bills give up a second round pick.

The Bears get DJ and a fifth rounder. And thank God it's not a third rounder for the Bears. Both because the second rounder means more. And you know how I feel about the Bears in the third round. It hasn't always been good. 312-644-67-67. Mario in Hyde Park. Welcome to the show today.

Greetings, everybody. I have a cold. Please forgive my voice. I am not particularly happy with DJ leaving because it gives me more pause about the wide receiver room. You're going to ask a second year wide receiver to be your number one. You're going to ask a dude who may have an injury worse than we thought to be a better wide receiver than he was last year. and you now don't need just a wide receiver and a left tackle and sign somebody to play safety, anybody, and an edge rusher, you still need a center.

The good news, if there's any good news, is the bears have newly found cap money, a lot of it, too, and they can make some really good moves. There are free agents that are out there that you can acquire that you can just throw money at as opposed to trying to make a trade for a player who is not declining, but getting close to the age where you're like, you know, I'm not sure if this is a long-term investment for this team. You also have kicks now, and you can pick really good college football players and develop them.

And this is kind of where I want to leave it. Either we trust Ben Johnson to be able to have a voice in that draft room with Ryan Poles or we don't. And if you trust Ben Johnson, you have to believe that he is going to make sure if nothing else, that that offensive line is correct because the most important part of all of this

is still Caleb Williams. And nobody likes to talk about the future, but the future of your quarterback, him staying here for an extended period of time, depends if he can keep his feet on the ground and keep his uniform playing. If he can do those things, the bear's going to be fine. They don't hate DJ's gone.

But if you have to advance this look toward the future, they might have done a good thing today, and they might put themselves in a really good spot. We will see. Mario, as always, we thank you for your call, and it's frankly a measured and reasonable take. You know, that's the hard part about some of these massive trades. You've got to give up something of a high value

in order to get something that you might just have to, value more because your situation changed. And I think that that's really important to make a note of. Yeah, and I brought this up yesterday, that as good as the young receivers seem to be for the Bears in Luther Burden and Colston Loveland, Roma Dunzee, pressure goes up a tick now when you don't have that vet in the room who can take some of the pressure off. Of course, the expectations naturally would have been ramped up in their second year, talking about the rookies from this year.

But now they have to play a prominent role. And you're right. if the bears are now in position to get maybe the best center, top five center in all of the NFL, and Tyler Linderbaum and the Max Crosby sweepstakes are open, are again open for the Chicago Bears. And just to reiterate, the Tom Pelliserra wording is a little tricky. Everybody's doing this real time, so just bear with us. It is a fifth round pick and DJ Moore going to the bills. bills give back a second round pick in this year's draft.

And the draft that Ryan Pulse said he had viewer of players on his board, darn. But they need it now based on the team needs that we have just discussed. We stay on the phones, 312, 644, 67, and we go to Derek and Beloit. Derek, you're on Rahimi Harrison Grotie. Hi, good morning. I call a good show, and I just wanted to kind of give my prediction of the next one to go. And I kind of feel like given that they got Kyle Menungi in the seventh round

and they're paying him on a rookie contract, which is like $4 million. I think DeAndre Swift is the next logical one to go given that they save like $7.5 million in cap space. It's only going to have, according to kind of just a brief search here, it'll only leave him like $1.3 million in debt money, but they saved $7.5 million. Johnson didn't keep him when he was at Detroit and

given that you can pick up value in the later round for a running back, he can't run through the tackles, right? I think where they need to concentrate is clearly at the center position, the left tackle, and then a defensive end. But for the money, I think D'Andre Swift is the next likely candidate to be let go. I think that you might be on to something there because he was part of that same story from Kevin Fishpane, Mark, the one talking about the cap casualties. The three names that he mentioned, Tremaine Edmunds, 15 million.

million dollar savings, although we know he's, quote, up for a trade, end quote, Cole Comet and D'Andre Swift. Yeah. Good research on the caller, too. Yeah, the exact amounts is $7.47 million in cap savings and the dead money, too, 1.33 mildo. So, man, resources. That's a tactically scientific term.

That is correct. That is all we do here. So it is funny that a few weeks ago when we were doing these Bears' cap space shows, they were deep into the red, and now the riches are beginning to come, and it's a matter of what the Bears do with it now. Now that DJ Moore is gone and we'll be playing with Josh Allen and Buffalo, and the Bears will be getting a second round pick in this year's draft. I also want to point this out, and we are going to take more of your calls.

We also get Dan Weeter at the top of the hour for what little time he can join us, just so you're aware Dan Weir are expected to join us at noon. Stay on the line. We will also continue with your calls because it's one of those very busy days here at the score. we also want to point this out. Go back to the conversation that Ryan Poles had. You know, for everybody who says, the cap is invisible. It's not real.

It doesn't exist. To the bears it does. And they just showed you how. Matters to us. It's kind of like what we've been talking. Like how are they're going to get out of this mess. And that is the realities of the NFL are kicking in big time with the bears. But I think that they're, I don't know how you feel right now, Leila.

He's already off of the spot. Lutrack cap list. I feel, I feel simultaneous, like, sadness. I feel sadness that DJ Moore is no longer with the bears because, as I said, he was a good bear and I enjoyed my relationship with DJ Moore on the professional level. But at the same time, there's kind of this new hope with the cap savings and another second round pick in the draft. And there are big names on the board that the bears are eligible to acquire at this moment. Okay.

And I know we're up against the. break, but 708 says, should we start the Cameron Jordan watch? Did you see that news that just came down, by the way? And Cameron Jordan has eight Pro Bowls, so he's got quite the career. But Adam Schaefter is reporting that

eight-time Pro Bowl defensive in Cameron Jordan, who has spent his 15-year career in New Orleans. Why is that 15-year important in New Orleans? Because of the overlap with Dennis Allen. He had 10 and a half sacks last season. He will not have a new deal in place with New Orleans by next week.

Oh, another name to the fray. Indeed. He will now hit free agency for the first time in his NFL career. Jordan will play a 16th NFL season and is said to be open to leaving New Orleans. So that is fair to ask that question. We're going to talk to Dan Weiderer to get the latest. He hosts the Take the North Show podcast with Mark Grody. He is also the senior writer for The Athletic.

We will also take more of your calls. So more on this breaking news here on Rahimi Harrison Grody next. Life can feel overwhelming. but on my podcast, From the Heart with Rachel Braithen, we're in it together. Every Friday brings you a new story. Listen to From the Heart with Rachel Brathen, wherever you get your podcasts.