The 7-1 Buffalo Bills went shopping on deadline day and came back with a ballhawk. Buffalo acquired safety Amani Hooker from the Tennessee Titans, a deal first reported by The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting the pick details.
The Deal
- Bills get: S Amani Hooker and a 2027 fifth-round pick
- Titans get: a 2027 second-round pick
Why the Bills Did It
Buffalo recently released C.J. Gardner-Johnson, which left Cole Bishop and Damar Hamlin as the projected starters at safety, with Geno Stone, Sam Franklin and rookie Jalon Kilgore behind them. Hooker gives the Bills an experienced starter who takes the ball away.
He has five interceptions this season, including three off Joe Burrow in one game, an overtime loss to Cincinnati in Week 8. Pro Football Focus grades him 10th among safeties in coverage and 13th against the run. He also is not a rental. Hooker has two more seasons left on his contract after this one.
Why the Titans Did It
Hooker was a fourth-round pick by Tennessee in 2019 and has 17 career interceptions, all with the Titans. Tennessee had a bye in Week 9, and a second-round pick is a strong return for a safety drafted in the fourth round. This is the Titans’ second big trade this season, after sending Jeffery Simmons to Chicago for two first-round picks on Oct. 29.
My Take
This is the kind of move a 7-1 team should make. Buffalo’s defense just held Minnesota to 178 total yards on Monday night, and now it adds one of the league’s interception leaders to a thin safety room. A second-round pick is a real price, but Hooker is signed for two more years, so the Bills are getting more than a half-season.
Every deal is in my NFL trade deadline tracker, and here is my Week 9 recap with Buffalo’s win in Minnesota.
Photo: Amani Hooker, Titans, 2019, by Chipermc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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