Moore's departure frees significant cap space and adds draft capital, potentially accelerating the Bears' pursuit of star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
The Chicago Bears made their first trade of the offseason by sending receiver D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.
The Bears sent Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick and received a 2026 second-round pick from the Bills. Chicago freed up $16.5 million in cap space with the trade, and now has roughly $20 million to spend on free agency.
Moore was a valuable player for Chicago for the last three seasons, tallying 3,012 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
Additionally, the Bears released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on Thursday evening, freeing up $15 million in space. The team now has roughly $33.1 million in cap space to use in free agency.
There is one perceived problem now, though, regarding a trade for Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
In the majority of the mock trades for the Bears featuring Crosby, Moore was always included. One from FanDuel Sportsbook had Crosby going to the Bears for Moore, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
Another from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler featured Moore, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick.
Reports from around the league suggest that Las Vegas has interest in "premium players" as well as draft capital in a potential return for Crosby.
So while the Bears parting ways with Moore in a separate deal may seem like it would put a wrench in the way of a Crosby trade, I would disagree.
If anything, I think it makes a trade for Crosby more likely.
Because of what the Bears received from the Bills, they now have more picks to wager in a trade for Crosby. The Bears now have the 25th overall pick and two second-round picks to use in a potential trade.
The Bears will most likely need some more cap space if they do trade for Crosby. Trading or releasing Tremaine Edmunds would give the team $15 million in cap space.
ESPN's Adam Schefter appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" and stated that he wasn't sure if the Bears could get a trade for Crosby done. However, he believes the trade for Moore now puts Buffalo out of the running.
Schefter didn't mention anything about the Bears not being able to make the trade after sending Moore to the Bills. He also described the feeling of a potential Crosby trade as a "quiet volcano" that was about to erupt.
We'll have to wait and see whether the volcano he described erupts, but I believe the Bears are more likely to trade for Crosby after sending Moore to the Bills.
The signs are all there.
Chicago is freeing up cap space for a big move, knowing how much a contract for a player of Crosby's talent will cost. The Bears are stockpiling draft capital because they know that to trade for a player like Crosby, you need to give up a lot.
The team is going to need more cap room for Crosby's contract, and that's where getting Edmunds off the books comes in.
It may seem like the Bears aren't going to trade for Crosby after getting rid of Moore, but I would argue that everything this team is doing is in preparation to bring the Raiders' star edge rusher to the Windy City.