Raiders acquiring versatile veteran cornerback in trade with Bills
· Yahoo Sports
Sunday, on the eve of the free agent negotiating period, the Raiders made an aggressive move to ensure they got a jump on things. The Bills were set to release veteran cornerback Taron Johnson in a cost cutting move. And rather than have to compete for Johnson on the open market, they swooped in and got him in trade instead, swapping late round picks to do it.
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Trade: The #Raiders are trading for #Bills veteran CB Taron Johnson, sources say. It's a 6/7 pick swap.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2026
Johnson was announced as a release, but not officially on the wire yet. Las Vegas pounces. pic.twitter.com/B0oY28Uebp
The drawback to trading for Johnson is the Raiders take on his $8.67 million pay for this season. Though only $1.75 million of it is guaranteed, so should they have buyers remorse before the season starts, they can cut him without losing much. Or they could try and work out a new deal that would lower his salary while making more of it guaranteed.
The question is whether the Raiders like him as a nickel corner or a linebacker. And the answer might be...yes.
The Raiders need a nickel corner and they also need linebackers. And the 5-11, 192-pound defender can do both proficiently.
Johnson has played 113 games with the Bills over the past either years and he's moved all over the field for them. He was a defensive back his first three seasons, then started at linebacker for two seasons (2021-22) and has been a cornerback for them the past three seasons.
Johnson may or may not be the same player he once was. He will turn 30 years old in July and his tackles and pass breakup number have gone down each of the past two seasons.
This deal cannot be made official until the start of the league year on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders acquiring versatile veteran cornerback in trade with Bills