Former longtime Bills star agrees to deal with AFC East rival

After getting cut by the Bills last week, Jordan Poyer is joining a division rival. The veteran safety is signing with the Dolphins, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’ll be a one-year deal for Poyer.

The safety was set to earn $5.5M in 2024 and was attached to a $7.72M cap hit. With a roster bonus due later in March, the Bills decided to move on from their defensive mainstay. The move created $5.72M in cap space for Buffalo while generating a dead-money charge of $2M.

The former seventh-rounder tested his value on the open market last offseason. After failing to receive much in the way of outside interest, he agreed to a two-year, $12.5M re-up in Buffalo. That was his third contract with the organization, with Poyer having originally signed with the Bills back in 2017 before inking an extension in 2020.

Poyer earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2021, and he 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. Pro Football Focus graded Poyer 46th among 95 qualifying safeties in 2023, the second-straight year he’s finished near the middle of the pack at his position.

Considering the relatively deep safeties free-agent class, Poyer’s declining production and the veteran’s rising age, he wasn’t expected to garner a long-term commitment from any teams. The Dolphins are a logical landing spot considering both DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones hit free agency. The team did re-sign Elijah Campbell, but he profiles as more of a backup. The Dolphins can now confidently pencil in Poyer opposite Jevon Holland.