Chicago Bears

It's out with the old and in with the new for NFL star D.J. Moore ... and we're not just talking his next team -- he upgraded his jewelry, too!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the former Carolina receiver -- who just got shipped to Chicago as part of the Panthers' acquisition of the first overall pick in the 2023 Draft -- decided to give a shiny shout-out to his new squad ... by getting some bling that matches the Bears' colors.

We're told Moore hit up Al The Jeweler from Labelle Jewelry in Totowa, NJ for the job ... and he came up with some seriously high-quality pieces that have him pretty stoked!!

Moore is now the new owner of a chain decked out in orange sapphires and VS white diamonds ... and a matching Cartier watch!!

Of course, Al has done work for a ton of NFL guys in the past -- including Stefon Diggs, Sauce Gardner and more.

The first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft now belongs to the Panthers ... Chicago just traded the selection to Carolina for star wideout D.J. Moore -- and a boatload of other picks.

ESPN's Adam Schefter just broke the news ... reporting the swap between the two teams went down on Friday afternoon.

The Bears, according to Schefter, will get Moore and the Panthers' first-round pick (No. 9) this year, their second pick (No. 61) this year, their first-round pick next year ... AND a second rounder in 2025.

Moore reacted to the news on Twitter -- posting two shocked emojis.

The deal now likely means a quarterback prospect will be headed to the Panthers -- though it's unclear which one.

Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud are the favorites -- but Florida's Anthony Richardson is also in the mix for the top spot.

Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith showed raw emotion over his friend, Robert Quinn, getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles ... breaking down in tears and ending his press conference after hearing the news.

32-year-old Quinn -- who had 18.5 sacks in 2021 -- was shipped to Philly in exchange for a fourth-round pick on Wednesday ... and Smith was in the middle of his media availability when he got wind of the deal.

"It sucks," 25-year-old Smith said as he tried to compose himself. "I'm gonna take a second for a second, if you don't mind."

"I have a great deal of respect for that guy, you know ... damn. Crazy."

Smith waited several more moments before deciding to get up and leave the room.

Quinn now joins an undefeated Eagles team that's sitting pretty at the top of the NFC East ... which is a much better situation than the 3-4 Bears.

Smith and his Chicago teammates will now try to improve their record without their star defensive end.

All of the Packers' starting offense is now drinking the ayahuasca Kool-Aid -- at least, figuratively -- 'cause they pretended to partake in the consumption of the psychoactive tea in the end zone on Sunday night!!

Allen Lazard kicked off the celebration in the second quarter of Green Bay's game against the Bears -- after catching a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers wideout pretended the ball was the infamous drink that Rodgers said earlier this year led to the "best season of my career" -- pouring it into the hands of all of his teammates.

One by one, each guy pretended to sip the drink -- and then fell over. Eventually, it got to Rodgers, who faked being shocked by it all before giving Lazard a big hug.

The two then kept the party going all night ... 'cause they went on to smash the Bears, 27-10.

NFL wide receiver David Moore -- who just signed a contract with the Chicago Bears this offseason -- was arrested this month after he allegedly fell asleep in a Taco Bell drive-thru, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to the Gainesville Police Dept., officers found Moore asleep in the driver's seat of a 2018 Ford F250 at the local fast-food joint at around 11:18 PM on July 3.

Cops say they were able to make contact with Moore -- and claim he smelled of weed during questioning.

An ensuing search, police say, revealed he had "a package of THC edible candies along with three pistols" in his car. Moore was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of weapons.

Records show Moore was booked into Cooke County, Texas jail on July 4 ... on the weapon and drug charges. The records show he bonded out a short time later.

Moore -- who's from Gainesville, Texas -- was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 7th round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and quickly became a reliable target for Russell Wilson.

In four seasons with the 'Hawks, he recorded 78 catches for 1,163 yards and 13 TDs.

He later went on to play for the Panthers, Raiders, Broncos and Packers -- before signing with Chicago in April.

NFL linebacker Matt Adams' time in Chicago is off to a bad start -- the 26-year-old was arrested for gun possession on Thursday, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told Adams -- who signed a 1-year deal with the Bears in April -- was questioned by cops around 6:45 PM after he was spotted near a Jeep that was reported stolen.

Adams allegedly claimed to have bought the car ... but when cops searched the vehicle, they found a loaded handgun in the center console and an extended mag in the trunk.

Adams was arrested and booked on misdemeanor unlawful use of a weapon -- carrying/possessing a firearm ... and was cited for having a high capacity magazine and metal piercing bullets.

We're told Adams had a permit for the gun ... but it was NOT issued by the state of Illinois.

Adams -- who is still in custody at the time of this post -- is due in court in August.

As for the car, we're told the owner did not want to press charges ... chalking the whole thing up as a misunderstanding.

Very cool gesture by the Chicago Bears ... the entire team wore No. 41 jerseys at practice to honor Brian Piccolo, who tragically died from cancer 52 years ago Thursday.

Piccolo -- who spent 4 seasons in the NFL (all with the Bears) -- was diagnosed with embryonal cell carcinoma, a form of testicular cancer, back in 1969 ... and sadly passed away at just 26 years old from the disease on June 16, 1970.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said he thought it was important for his team to be reminded of everything Piccolo did before his death, so he brought out the jerseys for Thursday's anniversary.

"He was a really good teammate and he liked to have fun with his teammates, he liked to play practical jokes on them and stuff like that," Eberflus said of Piccolo.

"Just a real man and a real person and a Chicago Bear. So, I wanted to make sure they got that message."

Piccolo, an undersized fullback, ultimately gained national fame during the 1960s for his beautiful friendship with teammate Gale Sayers.

The two grew so tight during their time as Bears, Sayers actually dedicated his George S. Halas Award (given to the Most Courageous Player) to Piccolo just before his death. The gesture -- along with the duo's friendship -- was depicted in the 1971 movie "Brian's Song."

The Bears have honored Piccolo yearly with the Brian Piccolo Award -- which is given to one veteran and one rookie who best exemplify the attributes Piccolo displayed during his life.

The disc jockey wife of "Rookie of the Year" star Thomas Ian Nicholas is pulling the plug on their marriage ... because she just filed for divorce.

DJ Colette, a house DJ and vocalist, filed divorce docs Thursday after more than 12 years of marriage.

Thomas, who was a child actor when he played Chicago Cubs fireballer Henry Rowengartner in the 1993 sports flick, and Colette tied the knot way back in January 2007 and they have two minor children together, a son and a daughter.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Colette lists the date of separation as Sept. 3, 2019, and she is citing the usual "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.

Colette is seeking joint legal and physical custody of the couple's children, and she wants to block the court's ability to award support to either parent. She says the couple has a prenup that she wants the judge to enforce it.

Chicago Bears WR Byron Pringle was arrested Saturday in Florida after state troopers say they busted him doing donuts in his sports car on a suspended license, with a child in the car, TMZ Sports has learned.

And, cops say Pringle was uncooperative ... becoming "verbally confrontational" with them during the stop.

28-year-old Pringle -- an NFL vet out of Kansas State -- was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol in his Orange 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat around 6 PM in Pasco County, FL after an FHP officer says he witnessed the car burning rubber, doing donuts on a public road, according to an incident report we obtained.

FYI, the Hellcat has over 700 HP ... and has a top speed of around 200 MPH. The car starts at over $65K.

Troopers say Byron was the driver of the vehicle. The car had two passengers ... an adult male in the front passenger seat, and a male child in the back seat. We're told the kid was Pringle's.

When police ran Pringle's license, they say it came back suspended.

Byron was taken into custody at 6:15 PM ... when he was taken to the county jail. He was arrested for Reckless Driving and driving on a suspended license.

The Hellcat was towed to a local yard.

Pringle was undrafted out of college ... before signing with the KC Chiefs as a free agent. He won a Super Bowl (LIV) during the 2019 season. Over his 4 years in Kansas City, he caught 67 balls for 4 touchdowns.

Hilarious moment on the radio waves Thursday ... NFL reporter Ian Rapoport hung up on a show in order to break some Chicago Bears news, saying "oh s***!" just before he bolted!!

It all happened just minutes ago on WEEI ... when Rapoport, an insider for NFL Network, was discussing the possibility of future overtime rule changes in the league.

Rapoport was humming with his hit, saying a change could eventually come ... when suddenly, he abruptly paused.

"You know -- the," Rapoport said awkwardly. "Oh, s***! I just got a text. I got to go!"

Rapoport quickly hung up, and the guys howled with stunned laughter.

Everyone later learned Ian had to go to break the news that the Bears are expected to name Matt Eberflus as their next head coach.

No worries ... nobody appeared to be offended by Rapoport's sudden exit -- the show hosts, and some of Rapoport's colleagues, even joked about it on Twitter afterward.

Allen Robinson's fight with COVID-19 was so bad ... the Bears star said he lost 10 pounds -- and is still recovering weeks after contracting the virus.

The wide receiver -- who's missed Chicago's last two games due to COVID -- opened up about his battle with coronavirus on Tuesday ... and he called it all a "beast."

The 28-year-old told reporters he experienced all of the common symptoms associated with COVID -- and added that even though he's getting better, he's still not 100 percent.

"Still kind of fighting through it," Robinson said.

Allen, though, said he's hopeful he can play for the Bears this weekend ... which would be big for the wideout, because he's had a mostly forgettable season so far.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy can't catch a break ... 'cause even after winning a game on Thanksgiving Day, fans in his own backyard still want him gone.

It all went down Monday night -- Notre Dame was trailing Illinois in the second half of action when "Fire Nagy" chants broke out from the packed fans in attendance.

This has gotta be tough for Nagy, considering he just picked up a win against division-rival Detroit ... right as rumors of his impending firing were making waves.

Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen fans voice their displeasure with the Bears play-caller -- chants of "Fire Nagy" erupted as the Bears lost a last-minute thriller to the Ravens a few weeks ago.

On top of that, an Illinois high school recently apologized to Nagy after "Fire Nagy" chants were directed towards him ... as he was in attendance to watch his son's high school football game.

An Illinois high school has just apologized to Matt Nagy ... after its football team's fans aimed a "Fire Nagy" chant at the Bears coach during its game on Saturday.

The Chicago headman was watching his son play for Lake Forest in its game against Cary Grove ... when in the second quarter, a "Fire Nagy" chant broke out from Cary-Grove's section.

Video from the scene shows the synchronized shouts were loud -- and frequent -- and Nagy no doubt heard them all.

On Monday, Cary-Grove principal Dr. Neil Lesinski said he was sorry for it all ... calling the chants unacceptable and inappropriate.

"As the school principal," Lesinski said, "I want to apologize to the Lake Forest student-athlete and his family for the disrespectful chant."

"We hope to learn from this situation," Lesinski added, "and we have taken steps to ensure this does not happen again."

Of course, Nagy -- whose Bears are just 3-7 this season -- is no doubt used to the chant by now. After all, he's heard it at nearly every game at Soldier Field this season ... and, in fact, a "Fire Nagy" chant even broke out during the Bulls game on Monday night.

Several Bears and Rams fans got into a wild brawl Sunday night -- with multiple men throwing and landing massive haymakers -- and the violence was all captured on video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The calamity all started at the beginning of L.A.'s game against Chicago ... when one witness tells us a Bears fan got into a verbal argument with several Rams fans for cheering the action on the field.

The witness says things got so aggressive in the seats, security at SoFi Stadium had to step in and request people swap chairs in order to keep the peace.

We're told after the game, though, some of the men ran into each other inside the concourses at the newly built arena -- and it didn't take long for the fists to start flying.

In video of the battle, you can see multiple scraps broke out ... including one where a man in an Akiem Hicks jersey was pummeled by punches and kicks.

In fact, the fights were so violent ... you can see blood actually ended up smeared all over the man's Hicks jersey.

We're told security was eventually able to break things up ... ultimately putting one of the combatants in handcuffs -- though it's unclear if any actual arrests were made.

It should be Justin Fields -- NOT Andy Dalton -- under center for the Bears in Week 1 ... so says Willie Gault, who tells TMZ Sports there's no point in delaying the rookie's debut.

Despite taking Fields with the #11 pick in the spring's NFL draft ... Chicago has seemed set on starting Dalton.

But, after two strong performances in Fields' first two preseason games with the team ... Gault is now calling for the former Ohio State star to just start right away.

"The coach is going to make that decision, but for me, let's go!" the former Bears wideout told us at a charity softball game in Los Angeles on Sunday.

"Why not?! Off the bat, absolutely."

Fields has dazzled at times during his limited preseason snaps so far ... piling up 222 passing yards on 23 completions while adding 79 rushing yards on just nine carries.

The dude has even showed some legit toughness ... taking a massive shot in Chicago's game against the Bills on Saturday and getting right back up afterward.

All of it has Gault clamoring for the Bears to make him QB1 ... saying, "Only way to learn is you got to do it!"

Chicago Bears legend Steve McMichael -- who later became a pro wrestling star -- has been diagnosed with ALS and is already paralyzed from the shoulders down.

The 63-year-old -- who was a key part of the famous 1985 Bears championship team -- revealed the diagnosis to the Chicago Tribune ... admitting, "This ain't ever how I envisioned [my life] was going to end."

"Mongo" McMichael was a 5-time All-Pro during his 14-year NFL career and was named one of the 100 Greatest Chicago Bears of All Time.

He later became a star pro wrestler with a stint in the WWE in 1995 before moving over to WCW where he took on the likes of Bill Goldberg and Ric Flair.

Steve was diagnosed with ALS -- also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- back in February ... and unfortunately, it's ravaging his body rather quickly.

ALS is an "always fatal" progressive neurodegenerative disease -- that essentially shuts down the body's ability to function. Average life expectancy is 2 to 5 years from diagnosis, according to ALS.org.

According to Steve's official GoFundMe page, Steve's wife Misty "feeds him and supports him with all hygiene needs."

Steve is losing function in his legs -- and the Chicago Bears actually bought him a special custom wheelchair to help him get around.

Despite his medical situation, McMichael is still cracking jokes about the diagnosis ... telling The Tribute, "I thought I was ready for anything. But man, this will sneak up on you like a cheap-shotting Green Bay Packer."