Chicago Bears trade DJ Moore to an AFC contender for draft capital, opening more cap space

Bears trade star wide receiver D.J. Moore to Bills: reports

Fox Chicago's Cassie Carlson breaks down the Bears' move to trade D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills and what that means for the team moving forward.

CHICAGO - Two years ago, the Chicago Bears paid DJ Moore to be the team's star receiver.

Now, the team has moved him to an AFC contender.

The Bears have reportedly traded DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills according to multiple reports, ending the month-long saga surrounding the Bears and the receiver himself.

Big picture view:

According to ESPN, the Bears are sending Moore to the Bills in a trade that hasn’t been finalized. However, the deal is in the final stages.

NFL Network reported that the Bills are sending a 2026 second-round pick to the Bears in exchange for Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick.

However, the most important factor is how the trade opens up a significant amount of cap space. 

The Bears were open about their desire to keep Moore, who made two game-winning touchdown catches against the Green Bay Packers this past season.

"We want him here. We think highly of him. He’s a great teammate. He has been productive pretty consistently," Bears general manager Ryab Poles said. "I have nothing but great things to say about him."

Moore was a part of the haul that Poles received from the Panthers when he sent the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to Carolina for two first-round picks, a second-round pick and Moore.

After a year where he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards with quarterback Justin Fields, the Bears thought highly enough of Moore to sign him to a massive four-year, $110 million extension in 2024. 

That extension was set to begin during the 2026 season. In the end, Moore’s $28.5 million cap hit in 2026 was too much to keep.

"This is the time where we have to look at all the different scenarios to see what can allow us to put the best team out there," Poles said in Indianapolis. "I’ve talked about this before. There are relationships there. There’s a lot there that makes it really, really difficult."

By the numbers:

This move comes with some stats in mind.

The Bears are trading Moore after he had a career low in receptions and receiving yards, recording 50 catches for 682 yards in 2025. He also had the fewest targets since his rookie season.

On the other hand, trading Moore frees up $16.5M in cap room for the Bears. The Bills will reportedly take on $24.5 million in salary for 2026 and assume Moore's $15.5M guarantee for 2027.

The money was the biggest factor, but there was a big question whether Moore would fit Ben Johnson's offense in the long-term. That question won't be answered with Moore going to Buffalo.

However, there was no question that the Bears' coaching staff respected Moore as a player in a year when he helped the Bears win the NFC North.

"He's a player that I felt really helped us get to the point to where we were this year," Johnson said on Jan. 21. "We had an opportunity there, a couple games away from a Super Bowl. So, I thought he was a huge contributor to getting us there."

Now, the Bears will turn to Luther Burden, Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland as Caleb Williams' main targets in the 2026 season.