Buffalo Bills to Restructure WR DJ Moore’s Contract Following Trade
The Buffalo Bills are finalizing a significant trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire wide receiver DJ Moore. This transaction involves the Bills sending a second-round pick in the 2026 draft to Chicago. To facilitate this deal, the Bills need to address their salary cap situation.
Salary Cap Challenges for the Buffalo Bills
Prior to the trade, the Bills were projected to exceed the salary cap by approximately $7 million. The addition of DJ Moore, whose cap charge for 2026 is estimated at $24.5 million, would escalate this deficit to about $31.5 million.
With the NFL deadline approaching on March 11 at 4 p.m. EDT, the Bills must quickly find solutions to create salary cap space. One pivotal strategy involves restructuring Moore’s contract to alleviate immediate financial pressures.
Proposed Restructuring of DJ Moore’s Contract
The most effective option for the Bills is to restructure Moore’s existing deal by transforming a large portion of his base salary into a signing bonus. This would involve the following adjustments:
- Retained Base Salary: $1.215 million
- Converted to Signing Bonus: $22.27 million (spread over 4 years)
- Estimated New Cap Hit for 2026: $6.78 million
- Per-Game Roster Bonus: $765,000
- Total Adjusted Cap Hit: Approximately $7.5 million
This restructuring would free up around $17 million in cap space for 2026. Additionally, it would spread the impact of the signing bonus over future seasons, offering the Bills the flexibility needed to manage their offseason activities effectively.
Future Considerations for the Bills
The team may also explore the possibility of adding void years to further improve their salary cap situation. With a commitment to remain compliant with the top 51 salaries, the Bills need to ensure they have sufficient cap space to accommodate DJ Moore’s contract once the new league year begins.
Ultimately, the strategy is to create a cap-friendly contract for Moore, allowing the Bills to push additional financial responsibilities into later years while maintaining competitiveness in the upcoming season.
