Reports: Raiders trade for Bills CB Taron Johnson
The Las Vegas Raiders are acquiring veteran cornerback Taron Johnson and a seventh-round pick from the Buffalo Bills for a sixth-round pick in this year's draft, according to multiple reports on Sunday night.
The Bills announced on Friday that Johnson, 29, was going to be released, reportedly as an apparent salary-cap casualty for a savings of $1.9 million. Instead, Buffalo is trading Johnson and a late draft pick -- it has two in the seventh (from the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets) -- for a sixth-rounder. The Raiders have two that round, including one from the Jets.
Johnson played in 13 regular-season games for the Bills last season, making eight starts at nickel cornerback and totaling 57 tackles and four passes defended. He also started one of two playoff games and made eight tackles.
He signed a three-year, $30.75 million extension in March 2024 with $17.82 million in guaranteed money.
Buffalo selected Johnson in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Weber State.
For his career, Johnson has 572 tackles, eight sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 48 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and six interceptions -- two returned for touchdowns -- in 113 regular-season games (87 starts) since 2018. He was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2023.
He also has 69 tackles, one sack, seven passes defensed and one interception, which he returned 101 yards for a touchdown against Baltimore in 2020, in 15 playoff games (12 starts).