Sources: Bears trading wide receiver DJ Moore to the Bills

The Chicago Bears are trading veteran wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, according to league sources. The Bills are sending a 2026 second-round pick to the Bears in exchange for Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick.

Moore, 28, had 244 receptions, 3,012 yards and 20 touchdowns across his three seasons with the Bears. His 50 catches and 682 yards in 2025, however, were both career lows.

Moore represents much of what the Bills had been certainly lacking in the 2025 season, and for much of the 2024 season, too. The Bills had tried to fill the Z receiver void ever since they traded away Stefon Diggs ahead of the 2025 season. They signed Curtis Samuel as a free agent, but it didn’t work out. Then they traded for Amari Cooper, which also was a miss, as he couldn’t get on the field for over 50% of snaps when he played. In 2025, the Bills signed Joshua Palmer to try to fill that void, but he was also inconsistent and couldn’t stay on the field because of injuries. The Bills knew something had to be done to improve their passing game to open it up, and that’s just what they’re getting with Moore.

The newest Bills receiver will provide separation abilities and can uncover in the intermediate and deep areas, mostly from the Z receiver position. Moore hasn’t had a passing quarterback quite like Josh Allen before, and given that receivers who major in separation have thrived with Allen in the past, this could be an outstanding pairing.

Despite his receiving numbers having gone down in 2025, this move represented a chance for the Bills to get a good-to-great receiver still in his prime. Moore’s age meshes with Allen’s timeline, as the quarterback turns 30 this offseason. In terms of overall impact and getting a known commodity who could walk in and become an instant impact type, it made sense for the Bills to utilize their limited offseason resources in that way for a receiver in a win-now year in 2026.

Moore became the subject of trade buzz this offseason as the Bears sought ways to create salary-cap space. General manager Ryan Poles expressed during last week’s NFL Scouting Combine a desire to keep Moore but left the door open to dealing him.

“He’s a guy we want here,” Poles said. “But we have to look at all the different scenarios.”

Moore is under contract through 2029, with a cap hit of $28.5 million for 2026. With that cap space cleared, the Bears can use the resources to attack their offseason needs, which only became greater with the news this week that Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman plans to retire.

That includes a likely effort to upgrade the defensive line and stabilize the secondary, in addition to seeking offensive line starters at center and left tackle.

Moore spent five seasons with the Carolina Panthers before being traded to the Bears during the offseason in 2023 as part of a blockbuster trade. Chicago sent the No. 1 pick to Carolina in exchange for a large gift basket of compensation, including the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick, which wound up being the No. 1 selection the Bears used on quarterback Caleb Williams.

Moore’s first season with the Bears was his best, with 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and nine total touchdowns. That production came primarily with Justin Fields throwing him the football. His chemistry with Williams wasn’t nearly as strong in their two seasons together.

Overdue move by the Bills

Big Baller Beane is attempting a comeback. The Bills’ general manager has taken a beating from fans and the media over his inability or unwillingness to bolster his wideouts. His infamous, condescending post-draft rant against flagship radio station WGR 550-AM and its morning co-hosts, who were pushing for Beane to add receivers in free agency or the draft, backfired mightily. Beane barely addressed the position last offseason and then mocked any notion that Allen, the reigning MVP, needed any such help. The 2025 Bills struggled to generate any substantive offense through their wideouts, especially downfield.

Beane all but admitted his miscalculation at the trade deadline, divulging that he pursued wideouts but couldn’t lock down a deal.

“Unfortunately, it takes two to tango, and we tried on quite a few,” Beane said at the time. “We ran into a couple teams in our division that were trading and couldn’t get a lot of interest there.”

Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle was heavily reported as a player Beane coveted, but coming up empty made the void feel deeper.

Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore all were healthy scratches at some point. Beane’s biggest free-agent signing, Palmer, showed a flash or two but missed seven games, including both in the postseason. Shakir was Allen’s leading target with 72 receptions for 719 yards and four TDs — numbers that wouldn’t lead a contender in the pre-Super Bowl era. — Tim Graham, Bills writer

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