The Buffalo Bills were aggressive at the NFL trade deadline and pulled off one of the biggest moves of the day, giving up a 2027 2nd-round pick to acquire Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker and a 2027 5th-round pick.
ESPN’s Ben Solak and Seth Walder both thought it was too high a price to play for Hooker, who is playing on a 3-year, $40.5 million contract extension he signed before the 2025 season – a deal that will bring his career earnings to approximately $76 million.
Both Solak and Walder agreed on a C+ grade for the Bills for the trade, while giving the Titans an A-minus. Solak singled the Titans out as one of the NFL’s biggest winners at the trade deadline for getting a 2nd-round pick back for Hooker.
“The Titans are filling the coffers, and rightfully so,” Solak wrote on Wednesday. “After sending Simmons to the Bears for two first-round picks, general manager Mike Borgonzi kept the train rolling by sending Amani Hooker to the Bills for a second-round pick. The Titans now have four top-64 picks in the 2027 draft.”
Bleacher Report: Bills Paid ‘Hefty Price’ for Hooker
For all intents and purposes, Hooker was the Bills’ second choice after their attempts to trade for Arizona Cardinals All-Pro safety Budda Baker were rebuffed.
It’s a pretty hefty price to pay , but Hooker has been quite the ballhawk this season —he has five interceptions for the season, including three in his last game against the Cincinnati Bengals,” Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport wrote on Wednesday. “The Titans are still in the early parts of a rebuild, so getting a Day 2 pick for Hooker isn’t a bad haul. The Bills get a major upgrade at safety who is under contract through 2028. It’s a good deal for all involved.”
Bills Recently Parted Ways With Starting Safety
The Bills recently released one of their starting safeties — Super Bowl champion C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
The Bills cut Gardner-Johnson not over his play, but over his inability, once again, to show he could be a respectable teammate. Gardner-Johnson was playing on a 1-year, $3 million contract but had problems from the jump. Bills head coach Joe Brady had to tell him to turn off an Instagram live session in the training room during preseason practices.
Gardner-Johnson called Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism a “practice squad” player after Chism caught a 1-handed touchdown pass in a 29-26 win over the Bills in Week 4 — Buffalo’s only loss to this point this season.
The final straw for the Bills was Gardner-Johnson receiving a 1-game suspension for spitting on Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in Week 6.
Bills’ Called Out After Paying ‘Hefty Price’ in $76 Million Trade