Grading the Chicago Bears trade that sent DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills

The Chicago Bears didn’t want to deal DJ Moore.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles was open about wanting to keep the eight-year veteran on an offense that’s on the rise.

The Bears, with so many other needs, couldn’t afford that and sent him to Buffalo. Here are the full trade parameters:

The Bears get: A 2026 second-round pick.

The Bills get: DJ Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick.

Here’s how we grade the Bears’ trade with the Bills that sent Moore to Buffalo.

Chicago Bears

Grade: A

The Bears needed to shed contracts to open up more cap space to fill some needs, especially after Drew Dalman’s retirement this week added another need to the list.

Moore was a critical part of the Bears’ success in 2025, even if the stats didn’t show it. His game-winning touchdown to beat the Packers in Week 16 will be a play the Bears and their fans will remember forever.

But, Moore’s $28 million cap hit in 2026 was too high a number to justify keeping. Wide receivers Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze are on their rookie deals, while tight end Colston Loveland emerged as one of Caleb Williams’ trusted targets later in the season.

So, the Bears sent Moore and a fifth-round pick. In return, they got a second-round pick and cleared a chunk of cap space. It might tug on the heartstrings to move on from Moore, but this was a necessary move for the Bears that brings in a day-two selection for Poles to use.

If the Bears free up more cap space with some other moves and potential restructures, the Bears could take a swing at a pass rusher or offensive lineman in free agency. This trade went a long way in setting up that kind of move.

Buffalo Bills

Grade: B-

The Bills needed to make a swing at receiver and did so.

Keon Coleman hasn’t emerged as a No. 1 receiver since entering the league. The team fired Sean McDermott and replaced him with Joe Brady.

This is a swing for Buffalo to take the next step with MVP quarterback Josh Allen. 

The Bills had a window to win with the Chiefs missing the playoffs last season and lost to the Broncos. With Coleman, Dawson Knox and Kahlil Shakir as the primary targets, Shakir was the only Bill to catch at least 40 passes.

Allen needed a receiver to be his No. 1, and Moore can be that guy for him. Brady worked with Moore when the two were in Carolina, and Moore recorded over 1,000 yards receiving in both of those seasons with Brady as his offensive coordinator.

This might seem like an overpay on paper for Buffalo. But, if Moore cracks 1,000 receiving yards and the Bills make a run at a Super Bowl because of what Moore does in Brady’s offense, then it’s hard to argue the trade wasn’t worth it. 

Ryan Poles

Grade: A

There’s something about trades involving DJ Moore where Poles got the better of the other team.

Poles did it once before, adding Moore from the haul that sent the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to Carolina, which eventually landed the Bears Caleb Williams.

Poles was candid about how much he appreciated Moore as a player and as a person. However, these are the kind of hard decisions a general manager has to make in the NFL when a team has an open competitive window.

Poles got a Day 2 selection in return for Moore. Buffalo will take on Moore’s contract, getting the Bears out from under that burden. It’s an impressive move for Poles.

DJ Moore

Grade: A

Moore gets to keep the $23.4 million in guaranteed salary in 2026.

He gets to play for a team that has an open contender window. He gets to play with an MVP-caliber quarterback.

The Bills think highly enough of Moore to trade a second-round pick for him and take on his contract. For a player like Moore, who enjoyed his first winning season in the NFL in 2025 after he spent his first five seasons in Carolina with a struggling team and played for a struggling team in his first two seasons in Chicago, this is a great landing spot.

BearsSports