The Buffalo Bills have long needed a WR1-like weapon for Josh Allen. With their deal on Thursday, they're hoping they found an answer.
The Chicago Bears traded D.J. Moore and a 2026 fifth-round to Buffalo in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, according to Adam Schefter. Moore joins a Bills offense that includes Khalil Shakir, James Cook and Dalton Kincaid -- and with Buffalo paying a WR1-like price to get him.
Compared to other recent NFL trades that were centered around a star-level wide receiver, the Bills' second-rounder going to Chicago is one of the more expensive return packages. A second-rounder hasn't been on the move for a wideout since D.K. Metcalf was sent from the Seattle Seahawks to the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason.
Here's a look at how the Bears' return package for Moore compares to other wide receiver deals in the last two years.
MORE:Grading the D.J. Moore-Bills trade
DJ Moore trade package vs. past star wide receivers
Moore, along with a fifth-round pick, reportedly went for a return of a second-round pick to Chicago. Last season, he posted 682 yards and six touchdowns in 17 games for the Bears.
Here's a collection of NFL wide receiver trades in the last two years, including the player's recent numbers at the time they were traded and the return package.
Rashid Shaheed, Nov. 2025
Seahawks received: WR Rashid Shaheed
Saints received: 2026 4th-round pick, 2026 5th-round pick
Shaheed's 2025 stats before trade: 44 receptions, 499 yards, 2 TDs in 9 games
At the 2025 NFL trade deadline, the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seahawks acquired speedy wide receiver Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a fourth- and fifth-round pick. Shaheed had nearly 500 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the nine 2025 games he played for the Saints.
Compared to Moore, Shaheed was less of a big name and certainly less proven in the NFL, hence the lower price tag. While the combination of a fourth-and-fifth rounder add up a bit, Shaheed wasn't nearly established enough as a potential lead receiver to fetch a second-round pick.
MORE:Why Bills acquired DJ Moore in trade with Bears
Jakobi Meyers, Nov. 2025
Jaguars received: WR Jakobi Meyers
Raiders received: 2026 4th-round pick, 2026 6th-round pick
Meyers' 2025 stats before trade: 33 receptions, 352 yards, 0 TDs in 7 games
The other big wide receiver deal at the 2025 deadline was Jakobi Meyers being sent to the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite some rumors connecting him to the Bills. Meyers had a strong 2024 season, posting 1,027 receiving yards in Las Vegas, but a quieter start to 2025 led to him being dealt.
Again, compared to Moore, Meyers' lower price point of a fourth- and sixth-round picks adds up. Meyers has remained a solid, WR2-level option throughout his career, but has never proven fully capable of a star-level workload, while Moore owns four career 1,000-yard seasons.
George Pickens, May 2025
Cowboys received: WR George Pickens, 2027 6th-round pick
Steelers received: 2026 3rd-round pick, 2027 5th-round pick
Pickens' 2024 stats: 59 receptions, 900 yards, 3 TDs in 14 games
After an up-and-down stint in Pittsburgh, the Steelers flipped wide receiver George Pickens to the Cowboys last May, also sending a 2027 sixth-rounder in exchange for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder. The deal certainly worked out for Dallas; Pickens was among the NFL's leaders with 1,429 receiving yards in 2025.
This may be the most recent comparable trade to Moore's, given Pickens' status as an elite wideout in Pittsburgh. However, part of the reason the Steelers were looking to trade Pickens was his off-the-field concerns and team issues — something that may have lowered his price tag a bit, even if he was a young, rising receiver.
Moore and a fifth-round pick became a second-round pick in the Bills-Bears deal. Here, Pickens and a sixth-round pick became a third- and fifth-round pick.
MORE:What Bills WR room looks like for Josh Allen after DJ Moore trade
D.K. Metcalf, Mar. 2025
Steelers received: WR D.K. Metcalf, 2025 6th-round pick
Seahawks received: 2025 2nd-round pick, 2025 7th-round pick
Metcalf's 2024 stats: 66 receptions, 992 yards, 5 TDs in 15 games
This was the last time a second-round pick was traded for an NFL wide receiver, as the Seahawks sent out D.K. Metcalf and a sixth-round pick to the Steelers for second- and seventh-round selections. Metcalf was considered one of the NFL's premiere weapons at the time, but Seattle was unwilling to meet his extension desires.
Seattle was able to recoup a bit more for Metcalf than Chicago was able to for Moore, but the two trades are fairly similar. Both wide receivers were attached with a later-round pick in exchange for a second-rounder, while Seattle also got the seventh-round pick from Pittsburgh.
Amari Cooper, Oct. 2024
Bills received: WR Amari Cooper, 2025 6th-round pick
Browns received: 2026 7th-round pick, 2025 3rd-round pick
Cooper's 2024 stats before trade: 24 receptions, 250 yards, 2 TDs in 6 games
Cooper was having a fairly lackluster 2024 season when the Browns sent him to the Bills before the trade deadline, despite topping 1,200 yards the season prior in Cleveland. Because the Browns were selling low on Cooper, attached to a sixth-round pick, he fetched third- and seventh-rounders.
This was the last time that Buffalo swung a trade for a big-name wideout, but the price the Bills paid for Cooper was lower than Moore in 2026. In a way, Cooper and Moore are at similar points at the time of their trade — big seasons in the past, but not proven as an elite WR1. While the Bills forked over a third-rounder as the headliner in 2024, they're now giving up a second-rounder for Moore, who is two years younger (28) than Cooper was at the time of the deal.
Davante Adams, Oct. 2024
Jets received: WR Davante Adams
Raiders received: 2025 3rd-round pick
Adams' 2024 stats before trade: 18 receptions, 209 yards, 1 TDs in 3 games
At the 2024 trade deadline, the Jets and Raiders navigated an easy pairing for Davante Adams, as he was reunited with Aaron Rodgers in New York. Adams, 32 at the time, could still be considered a strong WR1 at the time of the deal despite his age, and he required a third-round pick being sent back to Las Vegas.
The age difference between Adams (32), who also had a recent injury history, and Moore in 2026 (28) is significant. However, there is a bit of a difference in pedigree as well; Adams is a three-time All-Pro selection, while Moore has never been named to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team. Comparing the Jets' 2024 trade to the Bills' for Moore has some differences, but there's a case to be made that Adams was the better player than Moore at the time of the deal, yet Buffalo paid more.
MORE:Ranking the best available WRs in 2026 free agency
Stefon Diggs, Apr. 2024
Texans received: WR Stefon Diggs, 2025 5th-round pick, 2024 6th-round pick
Bills received: 2025 2nd-round pick
Diggs' 2023 stats: 107 receptions, 1,183 yards, 8 TDs in 17 games
It all comes full circle for the Bills' wide receiver situation the last few years. In 2024, they sent Stefon Diggs, a fifth- and a sixth-round pick to the Texans in exchange for a second-rounder, ending Diggs' elite four-year run in Buffalo.
In some ways, the deal was less about Diggs' talent than his off-the-field tension with the team; Diggs had his fourth-straight 1,000-yard season in 2023, but Buffalo was ready to move on.
Arguably, the Bills acquiring a second-round pick for Diggs (and two picks) in 2024 was more equal value than them sending out a second-rounder for Moore in 2026. When he was traded, Diggs was 30 years old, but owned six 1,000-yard seasons and four Pro Bowl nods. The Texans acquired him knowing he could provide elite, WR1-level production.
With Moore, meanwhile, Buffalo sent out a high-value draft pick for a receiver who has had some high points, but is also coming off a career-low in receiving yards.
MORE: Ranking Patriots' WR options after releasing Stefon Diggs