Chicago Bears Trade DJ Moore to Buffalo Bills for 2026 Second-Round Pick
The Chicago Bears have agreed to trade wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, with Chicago set to receive a 2026 second-round draft pick in return, multiple outlets, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, confirmed Thursday. The Bears will also send a 2026 fifth-round pick to Buffalo as part of the deal. The trade cannot become official until the start of the new NFL league year next week.
Moore, 28, is coming off the lowest-production season of his career. He caught 50 passes for 682 yards and six touchdowns across all 17 games in 2025, career lows in both receptions and receiving yards, as Chicago’s offense featured a larger rotation of pass-catchers under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
The decline was a product of circumstance as much as performance. Tight end Colston Loveland emerged as a central figure in Johnson’s scheme, while wideouts Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III carved out increasing roles as the season progressed. Moore remained available and durable throughout, including a memorable walk-off touchdown catch in overtime to defeat the Green Bay Packers on December 20. But his fit in Johnson’s detail-oriented system was a persistent question.
The Bears signed Moore to a four-year, $110 million extension in 2024, making it the largest contract in franchise history at the time. Moving the deal to Buffalo frees approximately $16.5 million in salary cap space for Chicago heading into free agency, according to multiple reports. The Bills will absorb Moore’s $23.5 million salary for 2026, with his 2027 salary becoming guaranteed next week.
In Buffalo, Moore joins a team that led the NFL in rushing yards (2,714) and rushing touchdowns (30) during the 2025 regular season. He is expected to step in immediately as the No. 1 outside receiver, ahead of Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman, giving quarterback Josh Allen a proven perimeter target he lacked for much of last season.
Moore also reunites with new Bills head coach Joe Brady, who served as his offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and 2021. Two of Moore’s most productive seasons came under Brady, including a career-high 18.1 yards per catch in 2020.
For Chicago, the trade accelerates a transition already underway. With Moore gone, the Bears figure to build their passing game around Loveland, Odunze, and Burden, with quarterback Caleb Williams entering his second season.
The Bears finished the 2025 season 11-6, won the NFC North, and lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoff on January 18, 2026.
Fantasy Impact
DJ Moore lands in arguably the best situation available to him this offseason, and fantasy managers should take notice. Moore steps into a Bills offense built around one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league in Josh Allen, and he does so as the unquestioned No. 1 outside receiver on the depth chart.
Khalil Shakir profiles as a high-volume slot option, and Keon Coleman remains a work in progress or a player they will likely move. Meaning Moore inherits the perimeter role without serious competition for targets on the boundary.
The concern, and it is a real one, is volume. Buffalo led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2025, and that offensive identity is not going away under Joe Brady. The Bills ranked 22nd in the league in targets directed to wide receivers last season, a number that reflects just how run-heavy this offense operates. Moore is not walking into a pass-first system, and fantasy managers expecting a return to his 90-plus catch, 1,000-yard seasons should temper expectations accordingly.
What Moore does offer is upside tied directly to Josh Allen’s ability to manufacture big plays. Allen elevates every skill player around him, and Moore’s after-the-catch ability and contested-catch reliability give him touchdown equity that his raw target share might not fully reflect. The Brady connection matters too. Moore thrived under Brady’s system in Carolina, and Brady has demonstrated a real ability to scheme receivers into space, which suits Moore’s game well. He is a strong WR2 in 12-team leagues with genuine WR1 upside if the Bills shift their offensive balance even slightly toward the pass. Redraft managers should roster him with measured optimism. Dynasty managers should buy now before his ADP rises.