The Buffalo Bills finally got their safety. Buffalo is trading for Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker, sending a second-round pick to Tennessee in exchange for Hooker and a fifth-round pick, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero was first to report the deal Tuesday afternoon, about 90 minutes before the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.
It’s the move Bills fans have been waiting on for weeks. Safety was the biggest hole on Buffalo’s roster heading into the deadline, and general manager Brandon Beane went out and got the NFL’s interception leader.
Trade details
Bills get: S Amani Hooker, a fifth-round pick
Titans get: a second-round pick
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the same terms: a second going to Tennessee and a fifth coming back to Buffalo.
Who is Amani Hooker?
Hooker is 28 and in his eighth NFL season, all of them in Tennessee. The Titans took him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, 116th overall, out of Iowa.
He’s playing the best football of his career this year. In his first season in coach Robert Saleh’s defense, Hooker leads the NFL with five interceptions, according to ESPN. He also has 52 tackles and six pass breakups in seven starts.
ESPN describes him as a safety who moves between strong and free safety roles. For most of his career, he was the Titans’ No. 2 safety next to names like Kevin Byard, Quandre Diggs and Xavier Woods. After Tennessee traded defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears, Hooker was named a defensive captain.
For his career, Hooker has 17 interceptions and 45 passes defensed, per Yahoo Sports.
Is Amani Hooker good?
The short answer: yes, and he’s been better than ever this season.
Hooker has never made a Pro Bowl, but five picks in seven games puts him at the top of the league. He’s also a reliable tackler against the run, Yahoo Sports noted. The one knock is durability. Flashscore pointed out that he hasn’t played a full season since becoming a starter in 2021.
For a Bills team chasing a Super Bowl, a ball-hawking safety who can line up deep or in the box is exactly what the roster needed.
Amani Hooker contract
Buffalo isn’t renting him. Hooker is under contract through 2028, per ESPN, which means he can be part of the Bills’ secondary for the next two seasons after this one.
The Titans extended him twice, in 2022 and again in 2025. His 2025 extension was a three-year, $48.6 million deal with $29 million in total guarantees, ESPN reported at the time.
That contract control is a big part of why Buffalo was willing to give up a second-round pick.
Why the Bills made this trade
The Bills are 7-1 after beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 on Monday night, the best record in the AFC. But the pass defense has been a problem all season, as FanSided’s BuffaLowDown noted.
Hooker should step in right away. Pro Football Rumors projects him as a starter next to Cole Bishop for the rest of 2026 and beyond.
Hooker wasn’t Buffalo’s only target. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the Bills also made a hard push for Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker before landing Hooker. Baker had not been traded as of Tuesday afternoon.
Did the Bills overpay?
A second-rounder for a very good but not elite safety is a steep price, Bills On SI wrote. Getting a fifth back softens it, and so do the two extra years left on his deal.
Here’s the case for Buffalo. Teams in Super Bowl windows don’t get many chances to add a starting safety in his prime midseason. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who loaded up on defense on Monday, took Jessie Bates off the market a day earlier. Beane was running out of options.
What the Titans get
Tennessee is 1-7 and in full rebuild mode. Hooker was one of the players the Titans reportedly weren’t looking to trade, per Pro Football Rumors, but a second-round pick changed that.
The Simmons trade already brought Tennessee first-round picks in 2027 and 2028. With this deal, the Titans now have two first-round picks and two second-round picks in next year’s draft, according to ESPN.
When Hooker could debut for Buffalo
The Bills visit the New York Jets on Sunday in Week 10. If the trade is processed in time and Hooker gets up to speed on the defense this week, that game would be his first chance to wear a Bills uniform.
For every move made before the 4 p.m. ET cutoff, check our NFL trade deadline 2026 guide.
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