Bills to release one-time All-Pro safety

In need of cost-shedding moves in the lead-in to free agency, the Bills are moving on from Jordan Poyer. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the veteran safety is being released. 

Poyer had been a Bills mainstay over the past seven years, remaining a full-time starter and enjoying his most productive seasons in Buffalo. One year remained on his pact, and the 33-year-old was due $5.5M. Poyer’s cap hit was set to be $7.72M, though, and $760K of his salary was due to become guaranteed on March 18. Moving on will create $5.72M in cap space while generating a dead money charge of $2M.

Buffalo first inked Poyer in 2017 and extended him in 2020. Last offseason, a free agent departure was a distinct possibility, and the former seventh-rounder tested his value on the open market. After failing to receive much outside interest, he agreed to a two-year, $12.5M re-up in Buffalo. Halfway through that pact, he will seek a new team to continue his career.

Buffalo safety partner Micah Hyde is a pending free agent, but his playing future is uncertain. Given the questions surrounding Hyde’s willingness to work out another Bills pact — and the team's interest in one — as well as Wednesday’s move, the position is on track to see notable turnover this offseason. Hyde and Poyer had been in place as full-time starters for the past seven years.

The latter remained productive through much of his Buffalo tenure. Poyer earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 and received a Pro Bowl invite the following season. After racking up a combined nine interceptions and 17 pass deflections during that span, however, those totals fell to zero and four in 2023. Between a drop-off in production and concerns about his age, Poyer could be hard-pressed to land a lucrative deal with a new team in free agency (something which figures to have many veteran safeties available).

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that depth corner and special teamer Siran Neal is also being released. That move will free up roughly $2.9M in cap space; one year remained on Neal’s contract. The 29-year-old had been with the Bills since 2018, playing 97 games and logging a heavy workload on special teams. While Buffalo’s third phase will take a hit with this move, the team will move closer to cap compliance.

Even with Poyer and Neal off the books, Buffalo still has $32.5M over the cap ceiling. Teams must be under the limit by the start of the new league year next week so that further moves will be required over the coming days. The Bills’ secondary, meanwhile, will feature some new faces in 2024.