Bills' Damar Hamlin discusses return to NFL, Comeback POY

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin recently spoke with Paulina Dedaj of Fox News Digital about completing a dramatic return to NFL action and being named a finalist to win the 2023 Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year Award. 

"I say this very humbly. I'm a humble person, but it feels like something aligned," Hamlin explained. 

Hamlin, of course, nearly lost his life when he went into cardiac arrest during a "Monday Night Football" game at the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023. 

The 25-year-old ultimately decided to continue his active playing career, and he later earned a spot on Buffalo's 53-man roster in August. He then made his official regular-season return in the club's Week 4 game against the Miami Dolphins. 

"All the steps that it took getting back to playing football -- offseason, season, training camp, putting the helmet on -- all of that was a process," Hamlin told Dedaj. "And it's still a process, and I think it will forever be a process as long as I decide to continue to play. But I'm built for it. Where we come from and the things that we overcame to even make it to the NFL, we're all testimonial stories."

In total, Hamlin appeared in five regular-season games and Buffalo's two playoff contests. The Pro Football Writers of America announced last week that Hamlin won that organization's NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award for the campaign, and he is expected to receive the AP award at the NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 8.

Per John Wawrow of the Associated Press, Hamlin and Bills cornerback Dane Jackson have been longtime friends going back to their days growing up in the Pittsburgh area. Jackson told Dedaj that Hamlin has been "my wingman my entire life."  

It remains to be seen if Hamlin has a long-term future on active rosters, but he's already cemented himself as one of the positive sports stories of the 2020s.