Sizing up 2026 NFL offseason trades: DJ Moore, Trent McDuffie - ESPN

We're in the thick of NFL trade season, and before 2026 free agency has even opened, we've seen a pair of fascinating deals go down this week.

On Wednesday, the Rams pounced on an opportunity to add former All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, sending a first-round pick and three other selections to the Chiefs to acquire one of Kansas City's top defenders. Then 24 hours later, the Bills finally landed the wide receiver GM Brandon Beane has sought for several years, sending a second-round pick to the Bears for DJ Moore and a fifth-round selection.

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I'm here to try to make sense of these deals. Why did a Bears team that had been in asset collection mode around Caleb Williams suddenly trade away its most accomplished wide receiver? Did the Bills really land a No. 1 option for Josh Allen? And although the Rams trading a first-round pick away shouldn't have surprised anybody, why did a Chiefs team that perennially expects to compete for a Super Bowl deal away its top defensive back?

Let's break that all down and figure out who got the better of these two swaps. I'll start in Chicago, where the Moore deal might have been as much about what's happening off the field as what's going on between the lines.

Jump to a trade:
Moore to BUF | McDuffie to LAR

Bills get: WR DJ Moore, 2026 fifth-round pick
Bears get: 2026 second-round pick

What does the deal mean for the Bears' financial flexibility?

Bears general manager Ryan Poles managed to turn a difficult situation into a shockingly favorable return here. To understand how the Bears got here, go back to the summer of 2024. With Moore coming off a 1,364-yard season and having two years to go on his existing deal, it's reasonable to understand why