Raiders Reportedly Trade for Taron Johnson After Bills Release Buzz, Updated Salary Caps

On Friday, the Buffalo Bills announced that they had released cornerback Taron Johnson alongside safety Taylor Rapp, wideout Curtis Samuel and corner Dane Jackson.

On Sunday, they traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders instead, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

Johnson, 29, recorded 57 tackles and four passes defensed across 13 games (eight starts) in the 2025 season. In his eight-season career, all with Buffalo, he's recorded six interceptions and 48 passes defensed across 113 games (87 starts). The veteran nickleback was also a second-team All-Pro in the 2023 season.

With the Bills transitioning to a new defensive coordinator in Jim Leonhard, under new head coach Joe Brady, personnel changes were always expected this offseason. One of the biggest ones came on the other side of the ball, as the Bills gave up second- and fifth-round picks in 2026 for wideout DJ Moore.

The Raiders, meanwhile, need help all over the roster, and cornerback was among their bigger needs. The team gave up 25.4 points per game last season, 25th in the NFL, and had just eight interceptions (tied 25th).

Johnson will add a veteran presence to that unit and should be a major upgrade in the slot. The Bills slightly improved their draft assets while keeping the same cap savings, making it a pretty easy call once they had decided to move on from Johnson this offseason.