Bills agree to acquire Bears WR DJ Moore, sources

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Josh Allen has a new weapon. The Bills are trading for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.

Buffalo plans to send a 2026 second-round pick to the Bears while also getting Moore and a fifth-round pick back in the same year, according to sources.

The financial commitment is significant – the bill ensures $15.5 million Of Moore’s 2028 base salary of $23.5 million, agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told Schefter. His 2026 salary ($23.5 million) is already fully guaranteed, and next week his 2027 base salary will also become fully guaranteed.

This is a reunion that could pay dividends right away.

Moore played under new Bills coach Joe Brady in Carolina when Brady ran the Panthers’ offense for most of 2020 and 2021 (before being fired in December). These were two of Moore’s best seasons. He averaged 18.1 yards per catch in 2020 and topped 1,100 receiving yards in both campaigns.

The deal cannot be officially completed until the new league year begins next Wednesday.

Buffalo’s reception room needed help. They have leaned more and more at the position each season since 2020, when a league-leading 72% of targets went to wideouts. Last season? That’s just 55%, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. Beyond Khalil Shakir, there is uncertainty. Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer and Curtis Samuel (Moore’s former Panthers teammates) all have question marks heading into 2026.

General Manager Brandon Beane has done this before. In 2020, he traded a first-round pick to acquire Stefon Diggs, who gave the Bills four solid seasons.

Moore turns 29 on April 14. He landed in Chicago as part of a package that sent the 2023 No. 1 pick to Carolina, and his first year with the Bears was his best. 1,364 receiving yards There were eight touchdowns with quarterback Justin Fields at the time.

Things have changed since his breakout season.

A new offense, a new play-caller, a new quarterback – it all led to a drop in production. Moore again led Chicago’s receivers in Caleb Williams’ rookie season (2024), catching a career-high 98 passes for 966 yards. But in 2025, there will be a completely different role.

With the emergence of tight end Colston Loveland and receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, Moore hit a career low in catches.50) and receiving yards (682). Just two years after the Bears gave him a four-year contract. 110 million dollars By extension – the largest contract in franchise history – Chicago was looking to create space among a crowded group of pass-catchers.

Still, he stayed healthy. With Odunze missing five games with a foot injury and Burden’s role expanding midseason, Moore played in all 17 games. He delivered some of the most memorable moments of the season, including a 46-yard overtime touchdown in a win over Green Bay on Dec. 20 that will be a highlight reel for years.

Allen has been waiting for another true top target since Diggs left. Moore may not be the receiver that set defenses on fire in 2023, but there is real potential here when paired with a Brady offense that has gotten the most out of him before.