The Chicago Bears continue to be hailed as the winners of the D.J. Moore trade. Sending the veteran wide receiver to the Buffalo Bills in March has garnered a high approval rate, and understandably so.
An aging, declining player who was being phased out of the Bears' offense and notoriously frustrated with his new diminished role, Moore had to go. However, finding someone to take on the hefty contract he signed not long ago was expected to be challenging, let alone securing a meaningful return.
Yet, the Bills desperately swooped in and gave up premium draft capital for the right to take on Moore's bloated deal. While the narrative could change if he returns to star-level form, the consensus is that they overpaid for him. Their mismanagement of assets proved to be a massive victory for the Bears, as The Athletic's Mike Sando echoed.
Sando called Chicago's acquisition of a second-round pick for Moore his "favorite" move the club made this offseason ($).
"Moore's per-game receiving yardage peaked at a career-best 80.2 in 2023, his first year with Chicago," Sando wrote. "That fell to 56.8 the next season and to a career-low 40.1 under new coach Ben Johnson last season. It was clear where Moore was trending in Chicago after signing a four-year, $110 million extension in 2024. Getting second-round value from Buffalo in return seemed strong."
Bears receive even more validation for 'strong' DJ Moore trade return
Buffalo's actions suggest they still believe Moore's best football is ahead of him, but his regression says otherwise, like Sando pointed out. The 2018 No. 24 overall selection is no longer a clear-cut alpha, which Chicago saw firsthand — and the numbers bear out.
122 wideouts drew at least 25 targets in 2025, and Moore was one of them, per Pro Football Focus ($). His 1.24 yards per route run ranked 79th, tied with Darius Slayton of the New York Giants. Moreover, the ex-Bears playmaker posted just five missed tackles, the least he's recorded in a single campaign.
Not to mention, Moore and Bears head coach Ben Johnson weren't the best personality fit, to say the least. They didn't seem to see eye to eye, and it was apparent quite early in their short-lived partnership. Nevertheless, Chicago somehow managed to maximize value and get a robust haul from the Bills.
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Chicago used the Day 2 choice from the Moore swap to stockpile talent, turning the one pick into rookies Sam Roush and Keyshaun Elliott.
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