The Buffalo Bills added another weapon to their wide receiver room last week, signing Elijah Moore to a one-year contract worth up to $5 million. The deal includes $2.5 million in fully guaranteed salary, which incorporates a $750,000 signing bonus.
Elijah Moore, who just turned 25, entered the NFL as the 34th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft when he was selected by the New York Jets. No the largest of receivers standing 5’10” and weighing 185 pounds, Moore is known for his speed, crisp route running, and big-play potential. He clocked a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at his pro day back in 2021. Moore has played four seasons in the NFL — two each with the Jets and Cleveland Browns.
Let’s take a look at the currently available number’s of Moore’s one-year deal with the Bills.
Contract breakdown of Elijah Moore’s Buffalo Bills deal
2025 Season
- Signing Bonus: $750,000
- Base Salary: $1,750,000 (fully guaranteed)
- Roster Bonus: $0
- Workout Bonus: $0
- Option Bonus: $0
- Salary Cap Hit: $2,500,000
- Dead Cap Hit: $2,500,000
- Cash Paid: $2,500,000
- Incentives: Up to $2.5 million in not-likely-to-be-earned (NLTBE) incentives (details pending)
With the base salary and signing bonus fully guaranteed, Moore’s entire cap hit is locked in for 2025, but the deal still leaves room for value if he outperforms expectations and earns his incentives.
Outlook
Through his first four seasons, Moore has 200 receptions for 2,162 yards and nine touchdowns. His production has been solid, though inconsistent, largely due to instability at quarterback — having caught passes from nine different starting quarterbacks across his stints with the Jets and Browns.
In Buffalo, Moore enters a wide-open competition for targets alongside Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, and Curtis Samuel. Moore’s speed and versatility could make him a valuable asset in Joe Brady’s offense, especially if paired with a steady presence at quarterback courtesy of reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen.
Cleveland chose to utilize the unrestricted free-agent tender on Moore a day after he visited One Bills Drive unsigned. It’s a seldom-used tender, so what does it actually mean?
Players need to have been signed as unrestricted free agents before April 29 to qualify for the compensatory-pick formula normally, but with the tender if he was to sign with any team between April 30 and July 21 the Browns could potentially be awarded a compensatory pick.
This move by Cleveland also meant that if Moore went unsigned by the start of training camp (July 22, 2025), the Browns would have retained his rights at 110% of his previous salary. That would have placed Moore’s earning potential around $3.4 million for the season.
