The Buffalo Bills have made a splash move at the trade deadline, acquiring star safety Amani Hooker from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick. The Bills have been frequently looking for ways to improve their secondary ahead of the deadline, and they finally managed to accomplish that goal by landing Hooker.
There’s no doubt that the addition of Hooker is a huge get for Buffalo, but as it turns out, he wasn’t the team’s first target at the safety spot on the trade market. Instead, Buffalo actually made a heavy push for Arizona Cardinals Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker, and only turned its attention to Hooker after missing out on him.
Bills Pursued Budda Baker Before Trading for Amani Hooker
Buffalo’s secondary has easily been its biggest weakness this season, and while it just shut down the Minnesota Vikings‘ passing attack in Week 9, that’s more of an indictment against their offense. Against teams that can actually move the football through the air, the Bills have struggled, which is why landing Hooker is so important.
A fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Hooker had spent his entire career with the Titans prior to this trade. While he’s always been a key piece of their defense, he’s in the middle of what is shaping up to be the best season of his career, as he has racked up 52 tackles and a league-leading five interceptions through his first seven games of the year.
And yet, he wasn’t Buffalo’s first choice when it came to its trade talks. That would have been Baker, an eight-time Pro Bowler who is one of the most accomplished safeties of his generation. While Arizona is open to trading players, it let Buffalo know Baker wasn’t a part of that group, which led the team to turn its attention to Hooker.
Sources: Prior to trading for Amani Hooker, the Bills made a very strong push for Cardinals 8x Pro Bowl S Budda Baker,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported in a post on X. “Arizona gave off the impression they don’t want to trade a franchise icon – despite a lost season – and Buffalo eventually got a deal done in Tennessee.”
Bills Did Well to Land Amani Hooker After Striking Out on Budda Baker
There’s no shame in admitting that Hooker was the second-best option for the Bills behind a superstar like Baker. A lot of the time, teams end up falling short in their quest to land their top guy, and they aren’t able to recover. Buffalo managed to move past it and land Hooker, so the front office deserves credit for powering forward and making a deal happen.
The 2026 campaign was already a Super Bowl-or-bust season for the Bills, and this trade for Hooker will only further emphasize that train of thought. Buffalo could make another deal or two before the deadline strikes, but it has already emerged as a winner, even if its trade for Hooker winds up being the only move it makes.
Bills Reportedly Pursued 8-Time Pro Bowler Before Amani Hooker Trade