If the Chicago Bears draft a rookie quarterback in 2024, they will have already done him a favor with last year’s trade for DJ Moore. Would they be willing to do him another if the cap-strapped Buffalo Bills are looking to trade Stefon Diggs?
Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton proposed exactly that scenario for the Bears during the 2024 offseason after Diggs appeared to cast uncertainty on his future with the Bills with the comments he made at the 2024 Pro Bowl Game this past weekend.
“I’m ready to go no matter which way it goes,” Diggs told ESPN’s Stephen Holder when asked if he was ready to go forward with the Bills.
Diggs is one of Buffalo’s best offensive players, but the Bills are financially in a tough spot with a $51.2 million salary-cap deficit they must resolve before the start of the 2024 league year on March 13. Should they decide Diggs’ contract is no longer worth carrying and look to trade him, Moton argues the Bears could be a realistic fit.
proposal? The Bears ship the worst of their two first-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft — currently the No. 9 overall selection — to the Bills in exchange for Diggs.
“That being said, Chicago should make an attempt to trade down with a quarterback-needy team to acquire draft capital rather than give up a top-10 selection for a 30-year-old wideout in a straight-up deal,” Moton wrote on February 5. “If not, the Bears can request a middle-round pick along with Diggs for an added resource to address their draft needs after free agency.”
Stefon Diggs’ Contract Complicates Trade Prospects
In a perfect world, the Bears would be able to realistically trade either a Day 1 or Day 2 draft pick and add Diggs to their offense without breaking the bank. Unfortunately, the four-year, $96 million contract he signed with the Bills in 2022 makes that a bit tricky.
If the Bears got to a place where they would be comfortable trading away one of their first-round picks for Diggs — and it would take a lot for them to get there — they would have to somehow find how to fit another high-end receiver contract on their books.
Currently, Diggs has salaries of $18.5 million, $18 million and $19 million over the next three seasons, respectively. Even if the Bears restructured his contract, it would still be a four-year commitment to a 30-year-old receiver. That would be an odd choice with the Bears due to pay Moore about $16 million in each of the next two seasons.
