ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills are trading for Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker, giving up a second-round pick in exchange for Hooker and a fifth-round pick, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Hooker, 28, has spent his entire eight-year pro career with the Titans. He has emerged in arguably the best form of his career in 2026 in his first year in coach Robert Saleh's scheme, leading the NFL with five interceptions to go along with 52 tackles and six pass breakups.
A dependable back-end option, Hooker roves between strong and free safety roles. He spent the bulk of his career as the Titans' No. 2 safety option playing alongside the likes of Kevin Byard, Quandre Diggs and Xavier Woods. But the Titans consistently rewarded Hooker for his performance, extending him to new contracts in 2022 and 2025.
The Titans have now traded two of their defensive captains. Tennessee also sent All-Pro defensive tackle and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and a 2028 first-round draft pick entering Week 8.
Now Hooker, who was named a defensive captain after Simmons was traded, is on his way to Buffalo. The Titans have two first-round picks and two second-round picks in next year's draft.
Hooker is under contract through 2028 and his contract comes with a salary cap hit of roughly $12 million for 2026.
The Bills began the season with veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson as the answer to their safety problems, but that experiment didn't even last into the second half of the season. After signing a $6 million deal with the Bills, Gardner-Johnson underwhelmed in the season's early going and earned a one-game suspension for spitting at an opponent during a Week 6 matchup against Las Vegas. One day after Gardner-Johnson's suspension expired on Nov. 3, the Bills released him.
Without Gardner-Johnson, the Bills' options at safety included veterans Damar Hamlin and Geno Stone as well as rookie Jalon Kilgore. Hamlin has been the primary beneficiary of Gardner-Johnson's suspension and release, starting back-to-back games next to Cole Bishop.
Through six games before the bye, the Bills' secondary performed as among the league's worst. Back-to-back strong performances against Baltimore and Minnesota have meant reason for hope, but those 10- and 6-point showings are easier to discount given they came against overmatched backup quarterbacks Joe Fagnano and Carson Wentz.