Former Jets WR draft bust signs with AFC East rival to continue revenge tour

The Buffalo Bills are giving a former New York Jets draft bust another shot at redemption, and this time, it's personal. Wide receiver Elijah Moore has signed a one-year deal with the Jets' AFC East rivals, setting the stage for what could be a dramatic chapter in his NFL comeback.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed on Wednesday that Moore's deal is worth up to $5 million, as he joins a Bills wide receiver room desperate for playmakers. Now, he's set to face his former team twice a year.

Moore, a 2021 second-round pick by the Jets, never lived up to expectations in New York. After a promising rookie start, his time with the team quickly unraveled following a public falling out with the coaching staff.

The Jets shipped him off to Cleveland in 2023, and now, two years later, he’s coming back to the division with something to prove. While Moore’s numbers with the Browns didn’t exactly set the world on fire, he showed enough to earn another opportunity, and the Bills are betting that he still has more to offer.

Elijah Moore's post-Jets revente tour continues with the Bills

Moore entered the NFL with sky-high expectations after a standout college career at Ole Miss that saw him rack up 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns in just eight games during his final season.

The Jets selected him 34th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, envisioning him as a dynamic playmaker who could anchor their wide receiver room for years to come. His rookie year showed flashes of that potential.

Moore finished the 2021 season with 538 yards and five touchdowns despite missing the final stretch with an injury. He developed chemistry with then-rookie quarterback Zach Wilson and looked poised for a second-year breakout. But instead of taking that next step, Moore’s time in New York quickly unraveled.

Midway through the 2022 season, Moore publicly voiced frustration with his role in the offense, requesting a trade after a string of games where he was barely targeted.

The Jets benched him for a week, and while he returned to the field, the relationship with the coaching staff never recovered. He finished his second year with just 446 yards and one touchdown — a far cry from the production the Jets had hoped for.

In 2023, the Jets finally moved on, trading Moore and a third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a second-round selection. He went on to put up the two most productive seasons of his career in Cleveland, posting 59 catches for 640 yards in 2023 and 61 catches for 538 yards in 2024.

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Still, Moore never quite became the consistent impact player many expected, and now, he’s hoping a fresh start in Buffalo can change that.

Moore joins a Bills wide receiver room featuring the likes of Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, and Curtis Samuel, giving him a real opportunity to carve out a meaningful role as a new weapon for Josh Allen.

Now in Buffalo, Elijah Moore has a chance to reignite his career while trying to prove the Jets wrong, and he’ll get to do it twice a year in the same division.

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