Carolina sent Chicago D.J. Moore, the 2023 No. 9 pick, a 2023…
Carolina sent Chicago D.J. Moore, the 2023 No. 9 pick, a 2023 second, a 2024 first and a 2025 second to move to No. 1 for Bryce Young. Young improved to 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2025, but Chicago’s return became Caleb Williams, Moore and additional premium players including Luther Burden III. Williams has 7,483 passing yards through two seasons. Carolina’s quarterback progress does not erase the enormous value gap.
Carolina Panthers Received
- pick 2023 1st round pick (1st overall, Bryce Young)
Chicago Bears Received
- pick 2023 1st round pick (9th overall subsequently traded, Jalen Carter )
- pick 2023 2nd round pick (61st overall subsequently traded, Brenton Strange )
- pick 2024 1st round pick (1st overall, Caleb Williams)
- pick 2025 2nd round pick (39th overall, Luther Burden) and D.J. Moore
Trade Analysis
Carolina made the defining bet of the 2023 offseason when it traded with Chicago for the No. 1 overall pick. The Panthers sent D.J. Moore, the No. 9 pick, a 2023 second-rounder, their 2024 first and a 2025 second. Carolina used No. 1 on Bryce Young. Chicago chose to rebuild around the enormous package rather than select a quarterback in that draft.
Young’s first two seasons were turbulent, but his 2025 season provided meaningful improvement. He completed 304 passes for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, adding 216 rushing yards. Those numbers are not elite, but they show why Carolina should not be graded as though Young has already failed permanently. He remains the starting quarterback entering 2026 and has shown enough growth to keep the evaluation from reaching absolute worst-case territory.
The Bears’ side, however, has become historically large. Moore immediately produced 96 catches for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023, followed with 966 yards in 2024 and 682 in 2025. The 2024 first-round pick became No. 1 overall because Carolina finished with the league’s worst record, allowing Chicago to draft Caleb Williams. Williams has started all 34 games of his career and followed a 3,541-yard rookie season with 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 2025. The 2025 second-rounder became Luther Burden III, who caught 47 passes for 652 yards as a rookie.
Chicago also extracted further value from the original 2023 selections through additional trades. The result is not one quarterback versus another; it is Young versus a multi-year receiver starter, a No. 1 overall quarterback and several other assets.
The original A+/D- grading remains broadly correct, though Carolina’s 2025 progress supports nudging the Panthers to D rather than D-. Chicago keeps an A+. Young can still improve, but the Bears already received too much high-level production for the gap to close easily.