Titans To Trade S Amani Hooker To Bills

The veteran safety is being dealt to the Bills, as first reported The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero. Buffalo is sending a second-round pick to Tennessee while adding a fifth-rounder as part of the deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. Adding in the secondary was known to be a goal for Bills GM Brandon Beane, and he has now done so.

Many veterans traded at this time of year are of course pending free agents. In this case, though, Buffalo is acquiring a veteran defender under team control beyond the end of the current season. Hooker’s contract runs through 2028. None of his base salary ($9.57MM) for next year is guaranteed at this point, but an injury guarantee of more than $4MM is set to vest in March. The Titans are not retaining any of Hooker’s remaining salary for this year, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. This swap will use up most of Buffalo’s remaining cap space as a result.

Tennessee traded away All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons after extending him this past offseason. Hooker was also drafted by the Titans in 2019 and established himself as a defensive mainstay. Nevertheless, both veterans are now out of the fold. Tennessee received a haul for Simmons (highlighted by two first-round picks) while adding further draft capital through this Hooker trade to set up a significant roster reset.

A report from yesterday named the Bills as a team to watch regarding a safety move. Beane’s squad enjoyed a strong defensive outing last night, but on the whole Buffalo has left plenty of room for improvement on that side of the ball. Through nine weeks, the Bills rank just 29th in the NFL in terms of passing yards allowed per game. It comes as no surprise a starter in the secondary has been sought out for the stretch run and into the playoffs.

Hooker, 28, has 17 interceptions to his name. Five of those have come this season, including three against the Bengals. His production (including 45 career pass deflections) will be welcomed in Buffalo, a team which should enjoy greater flexibility on the back end over the coming weeks. Hooker projects as a starter alongside Cole Bishop for the remainder of 2026 and beyond.

Buffalo’s win in Minnesota last night moved the team to 7-1. Top spot in the AFC East will be a target, which is also true of the Jaguars given their spree of trade acquisitions from Monday. Time remains for the Bills to make another move, but their top midseason need has been addressed.