Winners and Losers After Bears Trade DJ Moore to Bills

The Buffalo Bills entered the 2026 NFL offseason in need of a reliable go-to wide receiver. On Thursday, they may have filled their need by agreeing to trade for Chicago Bears wideout DJ Moore.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Bills are sending a 2026 second-round pick to Chicago in exchange for Moore and a 2026 fifth-round selection.

That's a fairly significant price for a receiver who will turn 29 in April, but the deal gives the Bills their first No. 1-caliber target since they traded Stefon Diggs. Meanwhile, the Bears are getting strong value for a player who wasn't an offensive focal point this past season.

Who are the other big winners and losers with Moore on his way to Buffalo? Let's take a look.

Winner: Bills QB Josh Allen

AP Photo/Bart Young

Bills QB Josh Allen

In 2024, Josh Allen was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in part because he had an incredible season despite the Bills' lack of a star receiver. However, the lack of a top-tier target contributed to Buffalo's divisional-round loss to the Denver Broncos in January.

Allen made plenty of mistakes against Denver, but dropped passes and a lack of easy completions left the Bills with another "what-if" season. It also cost former head coach Sean McDermott his job.

Moore will have to be better than he was in 2025, but he will give Allen the sort of playmaker at receiver that he's lacked over the past two years. Moore has averaged over 1,000 yards per season in his NFL career and has topped 1,100 yards in four of his eight seasons.

Loser: Bills WR Keon Coleman

AP Photo/Gregory Payan

Bills WR Keon Coleman

Moore's arrival will impact the production of Bills receivers like Tyrell Shavers and 2025 top target Khalil Shakir. However, the true loser of the bunch is Keon Coleman.

Weeks after they traded Diggs to the Houston Texans, the Bills used the 33rd pick in the 2024 draft on Coleman. The hope then was that the talented Florida State product would quickly develop into Allen's new go-to receiver.

Unfortunately, that hasn't come close to happening.

Coleman, who has tallied 960 receiving yards in two seasons, has only shown occasional flashes of talent. He hasn't been particularly consistent when he's been on the field, and he was benched multiple times in 2025 for issues off of it.

While Coleman still has two years left on his rookie contract, the trade for Moore suggests that Buffalo may have given up on trying to turn him into a star.

Winners: Other Bears Pass-Catchers

AP Photo/Nam Huh

Bears WR Rome Odunze

After serving as Chicago's top target for two seasons, Moore became more of a bit player in 2025. He still ranked second on the team in receiving yards behind rookie tight end Colston Loveland, but he, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden III all had similar yardage numbers.

Loveland had 58 catches for 713 yards, Moore had 50 catches for 682 yards, Odunze had 44 catches for 661 yards and Burden finished with 47 catches for 652 yards. Loveland, Moore and Odunze each had six touchdown catches, while Burden had two.

Moore's departure should lead to increased production from Chicago's young pass-catchers. That's a big development since Loveland, Odunze and Burden are all on rookie contracts and will spend the next few years playing for their second deals.

If one of them firmly establishes himself as Chicago's new top target, he'll eventually reap the payday that comes with the role.

Loser: Bears QB Caleb Williams

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

Bears QB Caleb Williams

The Bears have plenty of young playmakers who are capable of stepping in and filling the void created by Moore's departure. They also have a creative play-calling head coach in Ben Johnson, who will get the most out of the remaining weapons.

However, that doesn't mean quarterback Caleb Williams should be thrilled about losing a receiver of Moore's caliber.

Although Moore was not Williams' favorite target in 2025, the Bears having several talented receivers made it harder for opposing defenses to focus on stopping any single one. That made it more likely for Williams to find at least one open target on any given play.

Most quarterbacks would prefer to have more talented pass-catchers, not fewer. Two days after losing Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman to a surprise retirement, Williams now finds himself without one of his top targets as well.

Winner: Bills WR DJ Moore

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

D.J. Moore

When a notable player is traded away from a legitimate contender, it often means they're going to a worse situation. However, that's not the case here.

Moore is joining another playoff-caliber team with a top-tier quarterback and offense that should play to his strengths. Buffalo's new head coach, Joe Brady, was Moore's offensive coordinator for two seasons with the Carolina Panthers.

Moore will also get the chance to reestablish himself as a legitimate No. 1 receiver, an opportunity he may never have received in Chicago. While he has four years remaining on his contract with an annual salary of just under $24 million, he's highly unlikely to be a cap casualty if he produces as Allen's top target.

As part of the trade, Moore is also getting a bit of added financial security. His contract includes a potential out for the team in 2028, but Buffalo has decided to guarantee $15.5 million of Moore's 2028 salary, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter (h/t ESPN's Seth Walder).

Loser: Other AFC Contenders

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Patriots QB Drake Maye

The trade should be good for both Moore and the Bills. It's not so great for other AFC teams hoping to represent the conference in Super Bowl LXI.

It's not a stretch to suggest that Buffalo would have beaten Denver in the divisional round with a receiver like Moore in the lineup. Allen did have some misfires, but the Bills' offense frequently stalled as a result of bad routes and dropped passes, including one that turned into a controversial overtime interception.

Had the Bills advanced past Denver, they'd have had a realistic shot at beating the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. The two AFC East rivals split their regular-season series.

While trading for Moore won't fix all of Buffalo's issues—it does nothing to address the team's 28th-ranked run defense, for one—it addresses one of its biggest holes. The Bills are now one step closer to having a complete roster and perhaps again being one of the top teams in the conference.

Winner: Buffalo's Front Office

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Bills head coach Joe Brady

New Bills head coach Joe Brady and general manager Brandon Beane might be the biggest winners of the Moore trade in Buffalo.

Considering the Bills just fired former head coach Sean McDermott after his seventh straight playoff campaign, it's fair to say that Brady is taking over the job with high expectations. He'll now get to face those expectations with a talented receiver with whom he's already familiar.

Meanwhile, Beane gets to patch a hole on the roster that he helped create, although franchise owner Terry Pegula tried to blame the coaching staff for the selection of Coleman.

Beane still has plenty of work to do this offseason, but trading for Moore is a good first step for an executive who might not escape another disappointing season without blame.

Losers: Other Teams Hoping to Trade a Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Eagles WR A.J. Brown

The Moore trade is a bad development for any teams hoping to deal a wide receiver this offseason. For one, it likely takes Buffalo out of the trade market, and whenever a team is hoping to deal a player, it's better to have more potential suitors.

Secondly, the trade sets an undesirable precedent for any team hoping to get more than a late second-round pick back for a receiver this offseason.

While it's unclear which other receivers could be dealt in 2026, George Pickens and A.J. Brown are two names that have been floated. NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo reported a few weeks ago that the Dallas Cowboys may consider trading Pickens after giving him the franchise tag.

More recently, Garafolo reported that while the Philadelphia Eagles aren't aggressively trying to move Brown, they're looking for a "Quinnen Williams-type deal" to move him.

Williams was dealt at the trade deadline for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith, which is a far cry from what Chicago just got in return for Moore.

*Contract information from Spotrac