On Dec. 20, Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore hauled in a 46-yard rope from second-year star quarterback Caleb Williams for the touchdown that sealed the Bears’ 22-16 overtime victory over their NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers. In the NFC Wild Card round, Moore caught the go-ahead touchdown in another improbable Bears’ victory over Green Bay.
Those two plays will cement Moore in Bears’ lore for eternity.
Now, Moore will attempt to be on the receiving end of iconic passes from a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday morning that the Bears are trading Moore to the Buffalo Bills.
“ESPN sources: the Chicago Bears are working to finalize a trade that would send WR D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills,” Schefter posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Compensation still is being discussed, and the trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins, but both sides are pushing to make it happen.”
One minute later, Schefter wrote, “ESPN sources: DJ Moore is being traded to the Buffalo Bills.” According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “It’s a mid-round pick compensation going back” to Chicago.
While we still await the official terms of the trade, the ramifications are instantly crystal clear for both teams.
The Bills reportedly neared a trade for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle at the Nov. 4 trade deadline last season, as per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, and Buffalo has been ridiculed for not prioritizing a No. 1 option for 2024 NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen following the trade of Stefon Diggs to Houston in March 2024.
Moore automatically becomes Allen’s new No. 1 - rounding out a skill group that already featured wide receiver Khalil Shakir, reigning rushing champion James Cook, and tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. Notably, newly hired Bills head coach Joe Brady served as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021. As a Panther, Moore put up 1,193 yards and four touchdowns in 2020, followed by 1,157 yards and four touchdowns in 2021 in Brady’s scheme.
Moore was drafted by the Panthers at No. 24 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He flourished as a clear No. 1 in Carolina, but he was part of the March 2023 blockbuster trade that sent the Bears’ 2023 No. 1 overall pick to Carolina in exchange for Moore and four draft picks.
That brings us to the Chicago side of this.
Moore accounted for 53.2% of the Bears’ passing yards in 2023 with quarterback Justin Fields under center. Moore finished that season with 96 receptions for a career-high 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns across 17 games. Then, in 2024, the Bears drafted phenom Williams at No. 1 overall, and Moore’s place in the offense grew rockier.
The 28-year-old still finished 2024 with a career-high 98 catches for 966 yards and six touchdowns, but his receiving success percentage plummeted from 59.6 to 47.1. Along with Williams, the Bears also spent a 2024 first-round pick on wide receiver Rome Odunze, who had instant chemistry with Williams.
Chicago’s younger core continued to take shape in 2025, with the addition of 21-year-old tight end Colston Loveland, the Bears’ 2025 No. 10 overall pick, who became Williams’ clear go-to target as last season wore on. The Bears also took 22-year-old wide receiver Luther Burden III in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The emergence of Odunze, Loveland, and Burden III made Moore expendable.
If the Bears are ahead of schedule, the Bills are running behind. Allen turns 30 in May, and the Bills suffered nothing but playoff heartbreak since he arrived. Moore can become a legend in Buffalo if he helps Allen reach his first Super Bowl and the Bills win their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
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