At this point, it might be considered football malpractice if the Buffalo Bills don’t at least try to improve their defense before the November 10 NFL trade deadline.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox laid out a path to do that in his latest NFL Trade Block Big Board, where he identified Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker as the Bills’ top option.
Hooker’s price would be a 2027 4th-round pick — more than worth it if he becomes a starter on a Super Bowl team.
The Titans are 1-6 and seem on verge of becoming sellers before the deadline.
“The Titans should be interested in putting more pieces around second-year quarterback Cam Ward, and they may want to trade away some defensive pieces before November 10 to help do it,” Knox wrote on October 28. “Safety Amani Hooker would be a prime candidate in that scenario. While Hooker is signed through 2028, he may not be cemented in Tennessee’s long-term plans. He’s set to carry a cap hit of $13.2 million in 2027, and releasing him in the spring would save $7.4 million in cap space. Hooker has been a solid starter for the Titans and is still only 28 years old. He’s allowed an opposing passer rating of just 81.2 in coverage this season, and he would undoubtedly draw interest from teams in need of secondary help.”
From Big Ten Star to Fourth-Round Pick
Hooker, 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds, was a 4th-round pick (No. 116 overall) by the Titans in the 2019 NFL Draft after earning All-American honors and being named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Iowa in 2018.
Hooker had 4 interceptions in 2020 as a backup and became a full-time starter in 2021 — a role he’s held ever since.
He’s also cashed in twice on big-money deals in his career — a 3-year, $30 million contract extension in 2022 and a 3-year, $40.5 million contract extension in 2025. Hooker will have approximately $76.1 million in career earnings when his current deal runs out following the 2028 season.
Bills Safety Issues Boil Down to One Player: CJGJ
The Bills’ safety issues boil down to one volatile starter: C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Gardner-Johnson’s volatility has been on full display since he signed a 1-year, $3 million contract with the Bills for the 2026 season and came to a head when the NFL suspended him for the Week 8 game against the Buffalo Bills after he spit on Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in a Week 6 win.
In addition to his suspension without pay, the league fined Gardner-Johnson an additional $11,194 for unnecessary roughness against the Raiders.
Bills Urged to Fix Secondary Issues With $76 Million Titans Safety