After pulling off a major move to acquire D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears, the Buffalo Bills quickly followed with a wave of roster cuts. The decision wasn’t surprising. Moore’s arrival came with a cap hit, and Buffalo needed to create some breathing room. Still, one name stood out among the releases: veteran cornerback Taron Johnson, who received an endorsement from quarterback Aaron Rodgers last week. The move did not officially hit the wire, and the Bills were able to find a trade partner for the nickel cornerback.

“Trade: The #Bills are trading CB Taron Johnson – who they planned to release – to the #Raiders. The team’s are doing a 6/7 swap, per @RapSheet,” insider Ari Meirov wrote on X. “Solid addition for Las Vegas.”

In the deal, the Bills are sending Johnson along with a seventh-round pick, while the silver and black will send back a sixth-round pick. Meanwhile, the decision from Buffalo ties directly to a shift happening on the defensive side of the ball.

The Bills are transitioning from a traditional 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 alignment under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, which means three defensive linemen and four linebackers (two inside, two outside), with the outside backers having both rush and coverage ability. Because of that change, Johnson’s role became less certain.

Back in 2024, Johnson signed a three-year, $31 million deal with Buffalo. In 2026, he is scheduled to earn a base salary of $8.1 million plus a $150,000 workout bonus, with a cap hit of $8.67 million. However, ESPN reported that the cap savings would have been the same for the Bills Mafia whether the team traded him or released him outright, which sits at $1.9 million.

Interestingly, the move came shortly after the Bills announced Friday that Johnson would be cut. And the Raiders seized the opportunity and traded for him, believing in what Aaron Rodgers said about him. Just one day earlier on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers did not hold back when explaining why he values Johnson’s skill set.

“Taron Johnson is one of the best players in the league and one of the most underrated players in the league. He can play a box linebacker and stop the run, and he can cover guys,” Rodgers said.

Looking at Johnson’s NFL career, he spent his entire eight-year career with the Bills. He was part of general manager Brandon Beane’s first draft class with the Bills in 2018, when the team selected him in the fourth round. After briefly losing his starting role during the 2020 season, he fought back to lock down a full-time spot.

Since that year, the Bills Mafia has watched their team operate in nickel defense more than any other team in the NFL, using that alignment on 83.4 percent of snaps, partly because of Johnson’s versatility. Over time, Johnson became one of Buffalo’s most reliable defenders. Across 113 games with 87 starts, he recorded 572 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, eight sacks, eight forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, six interceptions, and two touchdowns.

Now he heads to Sin City, where Raider Nation will be eager to see how much of that production can help strengthen the Raiders’ defense.

Raiders back Aaron Rodgers’ praise by trading for Taron Johnson

By bringing in Taron Johnson, the Raiders addressed a clear weakness at cornerback. Last season, the group lacked both depth and proven production. At the moment, the projected starters are Darien Porter and Kyu Blu Kelly, while DeCamerion Richardson, Greedy Vance, and Chigozie Anusiem sit behind them. And then, Eric Stokes and Darnay Holmes are both approaching free agency, which only adds more uncertainty for them.

Last season, the one steady presence in that room was Stokes. He stepped in during the offseason and immediately locked down the right cornerback spot, holding that job throughout the year.

On the opposite side, the silver and black first gave Darien Porter the opportunity after drafting him in the third round. However, once the regular season arrived, Kyu Blu Kelly ultimately took over the role. Later in the year, Kelly dealt with injuries, which pushed Porter back into the starting lineup.

Kelly struggled in coverage, surrendering a team-high 559 yards on 37 receptions across 56 targets before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 14. Porter appeared in 17 games and made 10 starts, showing flashes of potential but also clear areas that need improvement. Meanwhile, Richardson saw most of his action on special teams rather than playing a major defensive role.

On the other side, Stokes finished with 53 tackles and five pass breakups. Still, opposing quarterbacks targeted him 55 times, and he allowed 338 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Therefore, the biggest decision facing the silver and black involves whether to re-sign Stokes at all. At the same time, neither Porter nor Kelly has proven they can consistently handle a starting role. Because of that situation, the move for Johnson suddenly makes a lot more sense.

So, in a way, Raider Nation can say their team believed what Aaron Rodgers said about 29-year-old Johnson and acted on it quickly.