The Baltimore Ravens may be more aggressive than usual this offseason. They are entering a new era after hiring Jesse Minter, and of course, they finished the 2025 campaign with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs, a season all players and fans are ready to forget.
Since firing John Harbaugh, the front office has made one thing clear: they’re looking to build a Super Bowl-caliber team around quarterback Lamar Jackson. They failed at that in 2025 and have started pushing the right buttons to fix it. It started with the coaching staff and will hopefully continue with roster moves.
Baltimore could be active on the trade market, which may include a pursuit of Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore. During an interview with ESPN Chicago, Bears general manager Ryan Poles left the door open on Moore's future.
“It’s hard to tell right now [if Moore will be on the roster in 2026],” Poles said. “Obviously, we have some cap constraints; we’re over right now, we gotta get under…We have to listen to the league and things that come out of this week in terms of is anyone interested in any other player that puts us in a position to reconfigure a little bit. So it’s difficult to say right now.”
There’s certainly some doubt there. If available, Baltimore could make some sense as a landing spot. The Ravens need wide receiver help, but what makes this more tempting is Moore’s local ties dating back to his collegiate career at the University of Maryland. The connections run deep.
Ravens may have an opening to bring DJ Moore back to Maryland if they want
Moving Moore would help the Bears free up the cap space they need ahead of free agency. According to Over the Cap, with a pre-June 1 designation, a trade would create $16.5 million in cap savings and $12 million in dead money. It’d be more beneficial with a post-June 1 designation, which would create $24.5 million in cap savings and $4 million in dead money. Either way, the Ravens should be honing in.
Yes, Moore is coming off the worst statistical season of his career. He took a bit of a backseat in 2025, totaling 50 receptions, 682 yards, and six touchdowns. Regardless, he’d help Baltimore’s air attack reach new heights, which saw wide receiver Zay Flowers as the only player with more than 422 receiving yards last year (1,211).
Outside of the Maryland connection, there’s a bigger tie that makes him a stronger fit: offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Doyle was hired to become the Ravens' offensive coordinator on February 2, and while Moore set career lows in receptions and yards in Doyle’s first and only season in Chicago, that relationship would make a first-year playcaller far more comfortable in a new system.
Jesse Minter also noted in an interview with Rich Eisen on Tuesday that there could be a larger focus on getting more creative with Lamar Jackson's ability as a passer.
Jesse Minter on Lamar Jackson:
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) February 24, 2026
"I don't know that he needs to run more. I actually think there's times where he can run less if you build an offense that takes advantage of the under center, the downhill run game. Now that opens up a lot of boots and play actions. ... I think… pic.twitter.com/4V3CqqaW1Z
In that case, Jackson would need a stronger supporting cast through the air. Moore would be a respectable number two opposite Flowers. He’s as reliable as it gets, playing in all 17 games for the past five seasons, and excluding last year, he tallied at least 888 yards in every year during that stretch.
Moore’s contract would require some restructuring for Baltimore, but he may be the type of talent worth making that financial commitment to. His cap number sits at $28.5 million in 2026, but a restructure would free up nearly $17 million. The potential trade package likely wouldn’t cost too much either.
If the door is open for a trade for Moore, it could be the perfect chance for the Ravens’ front office to right their past wrongs. In the 2018 NFL Draft, they passed on Moore twice, trading back from 16 to 22, and then again from 22 to 25. Moore was eventually selected by the Carolina Panthers 24th overall, one pick before Baltimore’s turn, where they picked tight end Hayden Hurst. Hurst didn't work out while Moore blossomed into a four-time 1,000-yard receiver.
Of course, this is the same draft where the Ravens selected Lamar Jackson, so all is forgiven, but the Bears seem to have opened another door to get Moore onto the roster. This time, almost eight years later, Moore could finally become a Raven.