NFC Wild Card Playoffs: Green Bay Packers v Chicago Bears
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Veteran wide receiver DJ Moore is on the move. The Chicago Bears are in discussions with the Buffalo Bills to finalize a trade that sends Moore to the AFC East, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. The Bears will also send a fifth-round pick to Buffalo and receive a second-round pick in return.

Moore is under contract through 2029 after he signed a four-year, $110 million extension with the Bears in 2024. As part of the trade, the Bills will guarantee $15.5 million of his 2028 base salary, his agents said to ESPN. Moore's $23.5 million salary for 2026 is already fully guaranteed, and his 2027 salary will become guaranteed next week.

Moore spent three seasons in Chicago and compiled 244 catches, 3,012 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns during his tenure. His production decreased annually, though, as he and the Bears appeared destined for an eventual split.

A change in scenery could help him return to the levels of success he found with the Carolina Panthers when he repeatedly crossed the 1,000-yard threshold.

Not only will Moore benefit from playing with an MVP-caliber quarterback in Josh Allen, but he could also rebound as a result of his reunion with coach Joe Brady. The best year of Moore's career came in 2020 when Brady called the shots as the Panthers' offensive coordinator, and the duo will now rejoin forces to kick off Brady's head coaching career.

The trade cannot become official until the new league year starts at 4 p.m. ET on March 11.

Josh Allen gets his go-to receiver

The Bills are in search of a top wide receiver for quarterback Josh Allen, and they will get their guy in Moore, who has four 1,000-yard seasons to his name and is just one year removed from catching 98 passes. Moore projects as the instant No. 1 receiver on the Buffalo offense ahead of Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman.

There may not be a bigger need for the Bills this offseason than to bolster a receiving group that struggled against the NFL's top secondaries in 2025. Coleman, a former second-round pick, has been disappointing across the first two years of his career while Shakir would be far more effective as a secondary option than as a leading target. Their limitations forced the Bills to seek in-season reinforcements like Brandin Cooks and lean heavily on tight ends.

Bears lean into young receiving corps

Moore was the veteran in a young receiving unit last year, and with him out of the picture, the Bears will feature more prominently the high-upside likes of Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. Tight end Colston Loveland will also factor heavily into the passing game as Chicago surrounds Caleb Williams with young weapons on a similar career timeline.

Odunze took a step forward last season despite missing five games and can be expected to lead the receivers in his third year as a pro. Burden flashed immense potential with a couple of 100-yard games during his rookie season and saw an uptick in targets in the second half of his debut campaign. If Loveland cements himself as a top-flight tight end in the NFL, the Bears should be thrilled with their young core.

Next steps for Bills

With the Bills checking a major box on their offseason to-do list, they can now turn their attention to upgrading a defense that was gashed on the ground last season for the fifth-most yards in the NFL. And on the other line of scrimmage, they also need to chart a path forward on the interior with center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards set to become free agents.

Cap space will be slim for Buffalo as it seeks to provide Brady with a championship-caliber roster in Year 1. Restructuring Dawson Knox's contract or releasing him altogether could be a start, as he carries a $17 million burden on the heels of a 36-catch, 417-yard season.

Next steps for Bears

The Bears were already under the salary cap following center Drew Dalman's surprising retirement earlier in the week, so this trade will open up a significant amount of space for the Bears ahead of free agency. Moore was set to carry a $24.5 million cap number in 2026, and general manager Ryan Poles can now use those savings to address their secondary, which is in flux with eight players set to become unrestricted free agents.

Cornerback Nahshon Wright led the NFL with eight takeaways in his breakout 2025 season, safety Kevin Byard added a league-best seven interceptions, and the duo of safety Jaquan Brisker and nickel C.J. Gardner-Johnson also contributed heavily to the loaded unit. The Bears now have some money to put towards keeping the group as intact as possible.