Bills Acquire DJ Moore From Bears in Trade, Giving Josh Allen a True No. 1 Receiver
The Buffalo Bills made their biggest offseason move yet on Thursday, acquiring wide receiver DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick (No. 60 overall). Chicago also receives a 2026 fifth-round pick as part of the deal. Buffalo, in turn, takes on $40 million in guarantees tied to Moore’s contract.
The trade cannot be made official until the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 11.
For the Bills, it ends a long and frustrating search for a legitimate No. 1 receiver. For the Bears, it clears cap space and opens the door for their young offensive core to take center stage.
What Buffalo Is Getting in DJ Moore
Moore, 28, is not a stranger to new beginnings. Since being drafted by Carolina in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, he has topped 1,000 receiving yards in four of his eight professional seasons and has shown the kind of durability that contending teams covet. He has played in 17 games in each of the past five seasons.
His fit in Buffalo is more than just scheme-based. Moore actually played under new Bills head coach Joe Brady when Brady served as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2021. That partnership produced the best stretch of Moore’s career. In 2020, Moore posted a career-high 1,193 receiving yards and averaged 18.1 yards per catch across just 15 games. Brady knows what Moore is capable of, and Moore knows how Brady operates.
That familiarity matters, especially coming off a 2025 season in which Moore posted career-low numbers: 50 receptions, 682 yards, and six touchdowns in Ben Johnson’s offense in Chicago. The two simply never clicked.
In Buffalo, Moore projects as an outside receiver who pairs well with slot weapon Khalil Shakir. The Bills ranked among the bottom third of the league in receiving yards by wide receivers in 2025, generating just 2,107 yards, per NFL Research. Adding Moore immediately upgrades that room and takes pressure off second-year receiver Keon Coleman, who has yet to break out in the NFL.
Josh Allen Finally Gets the Help He Has Needed
It is hard to overstate how much Josh Allen has needed this. Allen has shouldered an enormous offensive burden over the past two seasons, willing Buffalo through games with sheer talent and determination. But carrying a below-average receiver group was always going to catch up with the Bills eventually.
Moore will not reinvent Buffalo’s offense. He is not the kind of receiver who takes the top off a defense on every snap. But he can get open, run full routes, and create separation at multiple levels of the field. That alone is a significant upgrade over what Allen had to work with last year.
The trade should not be viewed as the end of Buffalo’s offseason work, either. General manager Brandon Beane is still expected to address the receiver room further, potentially through the draft. But acquiring a proven, durable weapon for Allen heading into what feels like a must-win season in Buffalo is a critical first step.
What the Trade Means for the Bears
From Chicago’s perspective, this was a business decision, and it was the right one.
Moore carried a $28.5 million cap number in 2026, with $23.458 million in base salary. Trading him saves the Bears $16.5 million in cap space, though $12 million in dead money remains. Per Moore’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, his 2026 salary is fully guaranteed, his 2027 salary becomes fully guaranteed next week, and Buffalo is guaranteeing $15.5 million of his 2028 base salary as part of the trade.
That is a hefty financial commitment for the Bills, but one they clearly deemed necessary.
For Chicago, freeing that cap space ahead of free agency could signal a bigger move from GM Ryan Poles. The Bears drafted wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III in the first round of back-to-back drafts. Both players now step into larger roles alongside quarterback Caleb Williams and tight end Colston Loveland. The future in Chicago is young, and the roster is being built accordingly.
Getting a second-round pick in return for a receiver who was already on the decline within their system? That is solid value for a team in rebuild mode.
