Brandon Beane
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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: General Manager Brandon Beane of the Buffalo Bills looks on prior to a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Highmark Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Bills kicked off the NFL offseason with an exciting start.
According to multiple reports, the Bills are trading a 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Moore is a solid player who has been in the NFL for the past eight seasons. He spent five years with the Carolina Panthers and the last three with the Bears.
Last season, Moore had a disappointing year by his standards, recording 682 receiving yards and six touchdowns over 17 games. However, the Bills saw something worth pursuing and decided to trade a second-round pick for him.
Bills Seem to Be Out on A.J. Brown
Now that Moore is heading to the Bills, it likely means they are no longer pursuing other wide receivers, including the Eagles’ standout, A.J. Brown.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Billswere one of the teams closely monitoring Brown, but their trade for Moore rules them out of the contention.
“The Bills were among the teams monitoring the AJ Brown situation, but this trade knocks them out of that sweepstakes,” Rapoport wrote Thursday on X.
Buffalo might have seriously considered going after Brown, but it seems the Eagles may have let the Bills know that he wasn’t available for trade. This could explain why they chose to pivot and pursue Moore instead. It’s also possible that the Eagles are indeed looking to trade Brown but found that the Bills weren’t willing to meet their asking price, leading them to explore other options.
The entire NFL was aware that the Bills were seeking to upgrade their wide receiver position this offseason, but Moore may not have been the player they expected to acquire.
Moore will turn 29 next month and comes with a hefty contract, featuring a $24 million cap hit each season through 2029. The Bills have the option to cut Moore after this season to save some money, but what’s the point of trading a second-round pick for him and then letting him go after just one season?
Buffalo is Going All In
The Bills made it clear after their season ended that they were fed up with their recent struggles, particularly after failing to reach the Super Bowl. In response, they fired head coach Sean McDermott and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to take over as head coach.
Buffalo is not holding back when it comes to making major moves, which is why trading for Moore, despite the high cost, might not have felt so surprising. The Bills understand they need to go all in to secure a Super Bowl victory, especially since their star quarterback, Josh Allen, will turn 30 this year and his best years could be behind him.
It will be fascinating to see how the Bills approach the rest of the offseason and the 2026 NFL Draft. There could be a handful of additional trades on the horizon; they might still be in a good position to trade for a star defensive player.