The Buffalo Bills made one of the more interesting moves during this NFL offseason whey they traded a 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick. Buffalo acquired Moore in part to make sure that quarterback Josh Allen would have a WR1 to throw to, but some league executives believes the Bills made a mistake with the trade.

“D.J. Moore was gonna get cut, and they gave up a second-round pick to get him,” one exec said of the move, per The Athletic’s Mike Sando. While there hasn’t been any reporting suggesting that the Bears were going to cut Moore, there were rumors implying that all Chicago would be asking for in exchange for Moore was a fourth-round pick, meaning that Buffalo overpaid to acquire their best wide receiver.

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“They gave up a second-round pick and $40 million (in guarantees). What is going on? As one agent noted, getting free agents to choose Buffalo over other NFL cities can be tricky,” the exec continued, per Sando, before another exec gave his opinion of Moore’s current form. “D.J. Moore has two years of regression now. He is a non-traditional receiver that wins with size and yards after the catch. I still feel they needed someone that could win down the field.”

Moore, 28, is coming off his worst season in the league since being taken by the Carolina Panthers with the 24th overall pick (first round) in the 2018 NFL Draft. In his third season in Chicago while being surrounded by plenty of other pass-catching talent, Moore finished the season with 50 receptions (85 targets) for 682 yards (13.6 yards per reception) and six touchdowns.

While it could be argued that Moore’s game is trending downward from here, it should be noted that he is only two seasons removed from posting a season of 96 catches (136 targets) for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns during his first season with the Bears. The Bills gave up significant draft capital to acquire Moore, but if he is able to regain some of his prior form, Buffalo should improve on some of its passing numbers from the 2025 campaign.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: NFL executives criticize Bills trading for Bears WR DJ Moore