Panthers Legend Steve Smith Sr. Reacts To Trade, Calls WR DJ Moore His “Spirit Animal”

Steve Smith Sr.

Carolina Panthers legend Steve Smith Sr. is a huge cheerleader of his former team.

Smith spent 13 of his 16 NFL seasons with the Panthers so this is perfectly understandable.

He was like the rest of the NFL fanbase who had thoughts about the Panthers’ Friday afternoon blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bears to get the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Part of his video reaction was dedicated to his “spirit animal” wide receiver DJ Moore who was traded to the Bears as part of the deal.

Smith clearly loves Moore but believes the Panthers have big plans, so big that Moore had to be part of the trade to make them happen.

D.J. Moore Gets An Upgrade

25-year-old D.J. Moore moves to a Bears team that is committed to Justin Fields instead of a soon-to-be-drafted rookie Panthers quarterback.

Fields will begin his third NFL season with Moore as one of his key offensive weapons.

Through Moore’s five seasons with the Panthers, he has had a laundry list of quarterbacks to work with.

They included Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Will Grier, Kyle Allen, and Cam Newton.

Moore managed to amass over 5,000 yards receiving in his Carolina career with 364 receptions, and 21 touchdown catches.

For his part, Moore seemed shocked about being involved in the trade and used emojis to convey his reaction on Twitter.

Carolina punter Johnny Heckler wished his now-former teammate the best after the news broke.

He said:

“Have a ton of love and respect for @idjmoore. I will always appreciate the effort you gave day in and day out. I wish you nothing but the best in Chicago.”

Carolina Fans Are Eager For Change

Panthers fans are ready for new life to be breathed into this team.

They finished 7-10 in 2022.

With a new head coach in Frank Reich, there is hope that this team can turn the corner in an NFC South division that will have four brand new QB1s in 2023.

In addition to Carolina’s presumed soon-to-drafted QB, the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New Orleans Saints will have new signal callers also.


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