Buffalo Bills Had To Make Multiple Attempts To Get Amani Hooker

Amani Hooker during his time with the Tennessee Titans before his trade to the Buffalo Bills.© X/@wrkpmedia

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was not ready to walk away from Amani Hooker, even when the Tennessee Titans showed little interest in trading their starting safety. What began as a series of rejected calls eventually turned into one of Buffalo's biggest moves before the NFL trade deadline. The Bills finally secured the 28-year-old on Tuesday, but the deal needed fresh talks, approval from both teams' owners and a late change to the financial terms before everything fell into place.

Amani Hooker deal took a last-minute turn

The chase started nearly a week before the deadline, when Beane contacted Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi about Hooker. Tennessee had just traded defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons to the Chicago Bears for two first-round picks, but the front office had no immediate plan to move another key defender.

Borgonzi confirmed that he turned down Buffalo's initial approaches. The two executives later crossed paths at the Notre Dame-Miami game in South Bend, although their conversation did little to advance negotiations.

"We had some calls on him," Borgonzi said. "Brandon Beane from Buffalo would call me for the last week on it, and I said no at the time."

Things changed on Tuesday. According to Beane, the talks gained momentum shortly after 1 p.m., following another round of discussions with Tennessee's front office. Even then, the Bills GM admitted that he was not confident about completing a deal when the clock struck noon.

Buffalo eventually sent a 2027 second-round pick to the Titans and received Hooker along with a 2027 fifth-round selection. Both teams needed approval from ownership, with Terry Pegula and Amy Adams Strunk signing off on the move.

Brandon Beane made a financial adjustment to land Hooker

Getting the trade across the line required more than draft picks. Buffalo had to restructure left tackle Dion Dawkins' contract to accommodate Hooker's salary.

"We had to restructure Dion (Dawkins) today to make that happen, so appreciate Dion," Beane said, thanking the veteran and his representatives for helping complete the deal.

The Bills had a clear reason to keep pushing. Their secondary needed help, and Hooker arrived with five interceptions in seven games, tied for the NFL lead. He had recorded 52 tackles and six passes defensed, giving Buffalo a proven playmaker at safety.

Beane even compared the Iowa product to former Bills favorite Micah Hyde, pointing to his instincts and ability to take the ball away. Hooker's contract through 2028 gave Buffalo more than a short-term fix.

The new safety was already looking forward to his next challenge. He arrived in Buffalo late Tuesday, attended Wednesday's walk-through and declared himself ready for Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

"I'm going to play on Sunday. I'll be ready to go," Hooker said.