The trade that will, as of next Wednesday, send receiver DJ Moore from the Bears to the Bills counts as a win-win.
For the Bears, the deal provided a path away from a contract that no longer made financial sense, given the other weapons the team has and Moore’s overall production in 2025.
He arrived via trade with the Panthers in 2023, as part of the deal that allowed the Panthers to make quarterback Bryce Young the No. 1 overall pick that year — and that gave the Bears the 2024 first-rounder that became the No. 1 overall pick (and quarterback Caleb Williams) the next year.
After catching 96 passes for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns (all career highs) in 2023, Moore got a new contract. In 2024, he caught 96 passes for 966 yards and six touchdowns. In both seasons, he started all 17 games.
Last year, Moore also started all 17 games. But his playing time dropped to 80 percent from 95 the year before. And he was targeted only 85 times (down from 140 the prior season), catching a career-low 50 passes.
With plenty of other weapons available to Williams (receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, and tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet), Moore became a luxury. His $23.485 million for 2026 was already fully guaranteed, and another $15.5 million in 2027 base salary would have become fully guaranteed next Friday. The move allows the Bears to escape $38.9 million in future guarantees. That cash and cap space can be devoted to improving the roster elsewhere.
The Bears ultimately upgraded a fifth-round pick to a second-round pick while dumping a large financial commitment. And the move allows the Bears to devote a greater portion of the overall passing game to the other players who will be back for 2026.