Could the Giants trade for Bears WR DJ Moore amidst Malik Nabers’ ACL recovery?

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and new head coach John Harbaugh may find themselves in the perfect position to exploit a unique market inefficiency. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, league executives view the upcoming free-agent and draft classes as “subpar,” a reality that is expected to trigger a frenzy of trades as teams look for established playmakers.

For the Giants, this environment makes a pursuit of Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore an enticing possibility. Moore has been labeled a trade candidate this offseason.

While Moore is coming off a frustrating statistical campaign in Chicago, the combination of his high-end pedigree and a potential roster crunch in Chicago creates a window for the Giants to secure a Plan B star to pair with Malik Nabers.

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Could the Giants Pair Malik Nabers with DJ Moore via Trade this Offseason?

The logic of pairing DJ Moore with Malik Nabers is as much about veteran insurance as it is about explosive potential. Moore finished the 2025 season with a career-low 682 receiving yards and 50 receptions, leading some analysts to suggest the 28-year-old has lost a step.

However, for a Giants offense looking to insulate Jaxson Dart’s sophomore leap, Moore represents a bounce-back candidate who has historically thrived with high-volume targets.

Pairing him with Nabers, who is working back from a season-ending ACL injury, gives the Giants two physical, boundary-winning threats that would immediately force NFC East defenses to pick their poison.

The Giants would only be interested in trading for Moore if Wan’Dale Robinson left in free agency. Robinson is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, coming off a career year in which he totaled over 1,000 receiving yards. He could get a contract worth around $20M per year this offseason. If he signs elsewhere, then the Giants will need a new WR2 to pair with Malik Nabers.

The primary reason Moore might even be available via trade is the emergence of a younger, cheaper core in Chicago. The Bears currently boast Rome Odunze and rookie sensation Luther Burden III, both of whom are playing on rookie-scale contracts and combined for over 1,300 yards in 2025.

Can the Giants Afford to Trade for Moore?

With Moore set to carry a massive $28.5 million cap hit in 2026, Chicago GM Ryan Poles is facing a financial crossroads. By trading Moore this offseason, the Bears could save a staggering $12 million in cap space, allowing them to retool a defense that struggled at times last year.

Unfortunately for the Giants, that means Moore would be an expensive option to acquire.

The most likely path to making this work is a trade-and-restructure move. By converting a large portion of Moore’s $23.48M base salary into a signing bonus and adding void years, the Giants could drop his 2026 cap hit to as low as $6 million to $8 million, pushing the bulk of the cost into 2027 and 2028 when the team has over $128 million in projected space.

For the Giants, taking on a “disappointing” veteran at a slightly lower trade cost is exactly the kind of low-risk, high-reward move Joe Schoen has made in the past (the Darren Waller trade being an example).

Veteran Floor in a Subpar Market

In a year where the free agency market’s wide receiver depth is considered thin, and where the Giants might want to address a different position of need in the first round, Moore offers a Week 1-ready floor that a rookie or mid-tier free agent simply cannot match. Additionally, Nabers might not be ready by Week 1 as he recovers from more than one tear in his knee.

His 2025 struggles were arguably a byproduct of a crowded room rather than a decline in talent; he still tied for the team lead with 6 touchdowns and proved his durability by starting all 17 games for the fifth straight season.

This reliability fits the John Harbaugh identity perfectly. Instead of gambling on a project at the top of the second round, the Giants could use that capital to secure a proven veteran, allowing them to focus their No. 5 overall pick on a cornerstone defensive piece or an offensive lineman.

In a “subpar” market, Moore could be a strategic upgrade to alleviate the pressure on Nabers as he works back from an ACL injury that might keep him sidelined for the first game of the season.