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Bills Fan Favorite Announces Retirement Following AFC Championship

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jan 28, 2025 9:16 AM ET

Lost in the shuffle of the Bills' 32-29 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday night was an announcement from one of the most popular players on the roster, a guy who did not start the season with Buffalo but who has been a key into molding the team's identity as a winner.

That would be defensive back Micah Hyde, a former Pro Bowler who has spent 12 years in the NFL. He did not register stats for this season, but was signed to the practice squad in December because the team values his veteran leadership.

When the Bills asked him to come back in December, Hyde, who began his career in Green Bay, said that Buffalo is now "home" to him. He played 14 games in 2023, and opted to remain a free agent last year, just in caser the Bills came calling. And they did.

This won’t come as a big surprise, but had a chance to talk with Micah Hyde today in the #Bills’ locker room. He said that he’s officially retiring and that his playing career is over.
— Jay Skurski (@JaySkurski) January 27, 2025

"I'm forever grateful for this organization, and so this is just icing on the cake," Hyde said at the time. "I was honored, and I feel like for me to come in practice squad and help you know, any way I could, it was I felt honored."

After Sunday's game, Bills writer Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News wrote on Twitter/X: "This won’t come as a big surprise, but had a chance to talk with Micah Hyde today in the #Bills’ locker room. He said that he’s officially retiring and that his playing career is over."

Hyde retires with 158 games to his credit, as well as one Pro Bowl and two second-team All-Pro selections.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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