The Buffalo Bills finally made the 2026 NFL trade deadline deal their fans were waiting for, sending a second-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for safety Amani Hooker and a fifth-round selection. This isn't a blockbuster, like the Titans' Jeffery Simmons trade with the Chicago Bears, but it does move a premium pick in one direction and the league leader in interceptions in the other. So, let's take a look at the immediate Amani Hooker trade grades for the Bills and Titans.

Titans' Amani Hooker trade grade

This is a relatively easy evaluation for the Titans' Amani Hooker trade grade. Tennessee is 1-7 on the season, so they aren't going anywhere in 2026. And until Cam Ward proves he is a true franchise quarterback, the team isn't going to compete for the postseason for another year or two, at least.

Hooker is a good player, and a highly-paid one, who is in his eighth NFL season. By the time the Titans are good again, Hooker would likely be on the wrong side of 30. He is also helping the Titans stay competitive in games, picking off Joe Burrow three times in a narrow Week 9 overtime loss to the Bengals.

Right now, the Titans have no need for older, highly-paid players, and frankly, ones that threaten to win games for them.

On the offensive side of the ball, there is some incentive to stay strong. The team needs to continue to develop and evaluate Ward as it fights for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. On the defensive side, though, the worse they are, the better that draft pick in April will be.

Hooker gave the Titans franchise and its fans one more parting gift on his way out the door. By making those three INTs, Hooker drove up his price and helped the team that drafted him in Round 4 of the 2019 NFL Draft get a Round 2 pick in return, which is a lot for a middle-aged (in the NFL) player who has never made a Pro Bowl.

Titans trade grade: A

The Bills' grade for 2026 NFL trade deadline deal

The Bills' Amani Hooker trade grade at the 2026 NFL trade deadline is a little more complicated.

On the plus side, general manager Brandon Beane finally did something. After years of “checking in” on tons of top players around the league but rarely pulling the trigger on deals, he made something happen at this trade deadline.

And what he made happen is a major positive.

While the Bills defense has looked better the last two weeks against the terrible offenses of the Minnesota Vikings with Carson Wentz and the Baltimore Ravens without Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley, there are still major problems there. Damar Hamlin is not a starting-caliber NFL safety, and the Chauncey Gardner-Johnson experiment was an absolute disaster.

Bringing in Hooker addresses a major area of need, and while a second-round pick does sound like a lot to give up for a player of this level, if the Bills have the success they should have, this is closer to a third-round pick, and they got a fifth-rounder back. He is also under contract for the next two seasons, with an out after this year. So, if Hooker is the answer at starting safety—which he is right now, coming in with the sixth-best PFF grade among all players at the position—this deal is great.

While Hooker is 28, playing great, and the trade is a good deal, there are still some question marks here.

Beane reportedly struck out with the Arizona Cardinals trying to trade for Budda Baker. The NFC safety is slightly older—he'll be 31 in January—but he also has eight Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro nods on his resume. Hooker has been excellent this year and solid throughout his career, but Baker is a stud. It may have taken a first-rounder and then some, but the Cardinals would have had to make the deal at some point.

The tenure of the Bills GM will be remembered for never quite going all in. Whether it was ceding Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller to the eventual Super Bowl-winning Rams or trading for Amari Cooper in 2024 when Davante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins were also dealt, Beane loves doing a little something, but always staying short of the big gamble.

Maybe that will pay off in the end of this deal and the entire Beane Era. Or maybe we already know where this is heading. Either way, this is a solid deal with room to improve if Hooker exceeds expectations.

Bills trade grade: B