The Buffalo Bills hoped they had traded for the D.J. Moore fans saw earlier in his career when they traded a 2026 2nd-round pick to the Chicago Bears for him in March.
They may have gotten an even better version than that after Moore lit up the Houston Texans for 5 receptions for 100 yards and 1 touchdown in a 36-30 Week 1 victory.
Sports Illustrated’s Eva Geithem called Moore the NFL’s “Top Offseason Addition” after his sparkling Week 1 debut.
“After they had struggled in recent matchups against the Texans, the Bills’ offense was explosive against Houston on Sunday, racking up 36 points and 409 yards of offense,” Geithem wrote on September 15. “One reason for the improvement? The addition of D.J. Moore. the Bills’ prior lack of top-end receivers made it hard for them to challenge the Texans’ defense, but with Moore—and tight end Dalton Kincaid being healthy—they were able to create big plays in the passing game and score 36 points. Case in point, Moore averaged 20 yards per catch as he hauled in five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Bills had to pay a steep trade price to land Moore (a second-round pick for Moore and a fifth), but if he continues to have this positive of an impact on the passing game, it will be well worth the cost.”
(Via @NFL)
Bills Took on D.J. Moore’s Massive Contract
While Moore’s production with the Bears left a lot to be desired — the bigger risk with him is the 4-year, $110 million contract extension he signed before the 2024 season, even if he did clear 1 year off the end of it by converting $22.1 million into a signing bonus just 1 week after the trade to the Bills.
Moore’s 2024 deal followed career highs of 96 receptions, 1,364 yards, and 9 total touchdowns in 2023. He followed that with 966 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2024, then a dismal 682 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2025 as the Bears won the NFC North Division.
While Moore’s salary cap hit is $6.752 million in 2026, it balloons up to $28.9 million in 2027. The Bills don’t have a manageable out in the contract until 2028, when cutting him would incur a dead cap hit of approximately $13.3 million
Bills Given Middling Grade for D.J. Moore Trade
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton gave the Bills 1 of his lowest grades — a “C” — for the trade in his postmortem for NFL offseason moves.
“The Bills needed to bolster their wide receiver group, but they did so at a costly price for a player who hasn’t eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards since 2023,” Moton wrote on July 7. “That said, Moore could be Buffalo’s lead pass-catcher and brings much-needed speed to the team’s aerial attack. Yet his receiving yard totals have been on the decline over the last two years. Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that Moore played with Caleb Williams, who has struggled with accuracy in his first two seasons, completing just 60.3 percent of his passes. Also, the 29-year-old wideout ceded targets to younger pass-catchers, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland last season. Perhaps Moore plays a bigger role in the Bills’ offense, though it’s not a guarantee with wide receivers Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer vying for targets. Buffalo is looking for an offensive spark, and Chicago traded a player who had faded in its offense for premium draft capital.”
Bills’ $110 Million WR Praised as NFL’s ‘Top Offseason Addition’