Bills Given 'B' Grade For Amani Hooker Trade

The wins just keep on coming for the Buffalo Bills this season, with the team sitting in first place in the AFC through Week 9.

The Bills offense has helped them jump out to a record of 7-1 on the year, with quarterback Josh Allen playing like an MVP. But the defense for the Bills has been a problem, with many people hoping that the team would address the issue.

With the NFL Trade Deadline earlier today, there were real questions about how Buffalo would go about dealing with the defense.  But once the dust settled, the Bills may have added one of the bigger names from the deadline.

Buffalo traded for star safety Amani Hooker from the Tennessee Titans, giving its secondary a major boost. In exchange for Hooker, the Bills are sending a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick back to the Titans.

While this was a lot to send out, Hooker completely changes the way that the Bills defense should look. Buffalo was able to shore up a key position on the defense, giving them more thought of a Super Bowl run this season.

NFL analyst Moe Moton of Bleacher Report graded the trade between the Bills and Titans, giving Buffalo a letter of "B". Buffalo was able to land star playmaker for the defense, but the team did have to give up a lot to land his services.

Buffalo recently released safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, which created an opening for a trade like this to go down. But the Bills needed more of a spark on defense, and Hooker should be able to help out greatly.

With the Titans this season, Hooker has played in seven games, posting 52 total tackles, five interceptions, and six pass deflections. The veteran should git in nicely into the schemes that defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will put together.

Hooker is an experienced player that should be able to step in right away to make a difference for this defense. And the Bills also didn't trade for a rental, with Hooker on the books for two more seasons after 2026.

The veteran is scheduled to make $10.28 million for the 2027 season, while earning $13.5 million in 2028. Buffalo likely felt more comfortable moving a top draft pick since Hooker wasn't a free agent at the end of the year.

Overall, this was a massive move for the Bills and one that could end with the team finally winning a Super Bowl this season.