DJ Moore Explains Reaction to Trade: 'They Wanted to Move Up and Get Rid of Me'

The former Panthers receiver opens up about last week's trade.

Exactly one week ago, the Carolina Panthers traded the 9th and 61st overall picks in this year's draft, a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025, and wide receiver DJ Moore to Chicago in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick. 

It was a move that took everyone by surprise. Not that Carolina and Chicago made a deal happen, but the fact that it happened on a Friday evening and that the trade included Moore, who many thought would be a big part of Carolina's future.

On Thursday, Moore had his first press conference with the Chicago media and was asked about how he learned of the trade and his reaction to it.

"I learned about it through a phone call with the Panthers. I was going to pick up packages and coming down my driveway I got the call from the Panthers saying that I've been traded along with a bunch of picks. And then I had got calls from this whole organization with love.

"I was really just like whatever. Like, let's go. At that point, it was just like we want to start somewhere new and that put a chip on my shoulder because we got to go somewhere new. But other than that, I was just like, alright. They wanted to move up and get rid of me, so I'm going to go somewhere where I'm loved."

DJ later cleared this up on Twitter stating that his answer wasn't directed at the fans. It was more on the business side of it. Regardless of whether or not a team wants to "get rid" of someone, that's the feeling players often get when they are traded. 

Christian McCaffrey had a similar reaction, which he explained during an interview on Bussin' With The Boys.

"It's a weird deal because there's so many emotions. First emotion is probably anger. Like, man, you guys don't want me anymore. That's really what it is. You can call it what it is. Well, they got a lot for you. It's like, nah, you think you're better off without me. So you get that, so you're pissed off."

Did the Panthers want to "get rid" of DJ Moore? No. Not at all. It was a rather difficult thing for them to do. He was their No. 1 guy and one of the building blocks moving forward. But in order to go up eight spots in the draft, that's what it took. Bears GM Ryan Poles wanted Moore included in the deal and that's exactly what he got. 

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