The 2022 Buffalo Bills season has come to an end, not with a bang, but with a resounding thud. All-Pro Safety Jordan Poyer took to the field for the last time on home turf against the Cincinnati Bengals, and left with a head injury in the fourth quarter. His final season in Buffalo was remarkable, and he took to the field without suffering a loss until the very end. His story is one for the books, and he’ll remain a Buffalo Bill forever.
Jordan Poyer: Drought Breaker
Poyer came to the Buffalo Bills in 2017, as one of the first acquisitions of the Sean McDermott era. He started that season alongside fellow free agent signee Micah Hyde, and the most legendary safety tandem in team history was formed. We didn’t know it at the time, but we had the foundational pieces of this great generation of Bills football.
As the 2017 season came to a close Jordan Poyer hauled in three straight games with interceptions to help secure the playoff berth we’d waited 18 years for. It was an emotional time, for the better. It was a prime example of who he was: A player who knew what had to be done, and gave everything he could in order to do it.
In the ensuing years, Poyer and Hyde led one of the NFL’s best defenses to incredible heights; It’s criminal that the Super Bowl wasn’t amongst them. Their play together has been critical to our greatest successes, and the future of the position without the two of them lined up together is murky. We hope an answer is found soon.
Losing Micah Hyde for the season in Week 2 this season was heartbreaking. Many fans knew even then that we’d witnessed the end of an era, but Jordan Poyer fought through injury all season despite it all. He’s earned whatever contract he gets. It’s a shame that it won’t be with us.
Unretainable, Unsustainable
Unfortunately, the Buffalo Bills are at the point where cash is tight, and cap space is going to be a problem. Despite attempts by both parties this season, the two sides could not come to an agreement on a contract extension. Poyer, coming off a First-Team All-Pro selection, felt he was due a top-of-the-market deal. The team seemed to believe that, at age 31, he couldn’t be counted on to play out the contract at an elite level. The Bills needed to get younger and cheaper, and the projected $11M+ per year contract that Poyer is expected to command on the market was too steep.
The Bills have a great many problems to address this offseason, from potential staffing changes to the loss of impact players such as Jordan Poyer. Tremaine Edmunds has reached the end of his contract, as has Devin Singletary, and a number of others. As Poyer ages and faces numerous injuries, he has likely played his final snap for this franchise.
So Long, And Thanks For All The (Squished) Fish
Poyer released this video ahead of the Bills’ Divisional Round exit, in which he addresses the fans. The future in uncertain, but the love between Poyer and the fans is as clear as ever.
In all honesty, Jordan Poyer may yet sign another contract here, and all of this might be for naught. Tragically, that doesn’t appear to be the case thus far. In a cap-tight offseason where the Bills’ needs likely outweigh their resources, some hurtful partings are undoubtedly imminent. We can all but expect Poyer to be one of them.
So we’ll take this opportunity to say thank you, Jordan. For everything. You may never truly know how much it meant to us.
Sincerely, Bills Mafia.
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