Josh Allen Finally Gets His WR1: Bills Land DJ Moore in Blockbuster Trade as New Era Begins in Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills pulled off their most significant offensive investment in years, acquiring wide receiver DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears — giving Josh Allen the legitimate No. 1 target he has been without since Stefon Diggs left town two years ago.
The deal became official Wednesday when the new NFL league year opened at 4 p.m. ET on March 11. Chicago received a 2026 second-round pick (No. 60 overall) and a fifth-round selection in return, while Buffalo absorbed roughly $40 million in guarantees tied to Moore's existing contract.
Josh Allen Gets the WR1 Buffalo Desperately Needed
Khalil Shakir led the Bills last season with a modest 719 receiving yards, leaving Allen to force tight throws into heavy coverage and carry the offense almost single-handedly. The receiving corps repeatedly buckled against the NFL's top secondaries, forcing general manager Brandon Beane to scramble in-season for reinforcements.
Beane had tried to address this gap multiple times since dealing Diggs to Houston before the 2024 season — drafting Keon Coleman in the second round, trading a third-round pick for Amari Cooper at the deadline, and signing Joshua Palmer and Curtis Samuel to mid-tier free agent deals. None of it worked.
Moore represents a different tier of solution. He has four 1,000-yard seasons to his name and is just one year removed from hauling in 98 passes. At 28, he projects immediately as the top option ahead of Shakir and Coleman.
The Brady Connection Matters
The reunion subplot here is real. Moore has direct familiarity with new Bills head coach Joe Brady, who served as his offensive coordinator in Carolina — a stint during which Moore repeatedly cracked the 1,000-yard mark. Brady was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach in Buffalo on January 27 after Sean McDermott was fired.
Moore's worst statistical year came in 2025 in Chicago, where he finished with just 50 catches for 682 yards and six touchdowns — the fewest catches and yards of his career. But the context matters: targets in that offense were spread across Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland simultaneously. In Buffalo, he steps in as the uncontested alpha.
Financial Commitment Raises Eyebrows
Buffalo didn't get this deal done cheaply. Moore's $23.5 million salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed, and as part of the trade structure, the Bills agreed to guarantee an additional $15.5 million of his 2028 base salary.
That 2028 guarantee is what's drawing the most scrutiny. Moore had no contractual leverage forcing Buffalo's hand — no no-trade clause — which signals either supreme confidence in the player or a degree of desperation that critics are already flagging.
Fox Sports analyst Jason McIntyre didn't pull punches in his Friday assessment. He called Moore "nothing close to a No. 1 receiver" and argued Beane has "drafted seven receivers since they had Josh Allen and none of them have had a 1,000-yard season."
Allen Enters 2026 Reloaded
Allen posted a career-high 69.3% completion rate in 2025, throwing for 3,668 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while scoring 14 times on the ground — his third straight season with at least 500 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores. He did all of that without a true No. 1 receiver.
He also underwent surgery to repair a broken fifth metatarsal following the season but is expected back well before Buffalo's offseason program begins.
The Bills also moved to retain tight end Dawson Knox — another of Allen's top red zone targets — locking him up before the legal tampering window closed.
The DJ Moore trade does not close Buffalo's offseason checklist. The Bills still need to address an interior offensive line losing center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards to free agency, along with a defense that surrendered the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL last season. Cap space is thin. The margin for error heading into Brady's first year as head coach is not wide.
