The Buffalo Bills and safety Jordan Poyer agreed to a two-year extension while the whirlwind of free agency started going down this week.
While Poyer was certainly in-line for a payday, the defensive back said there was still plenty of motivation for him to return. Some personal business.
“I want to finished what we started,” Poyer said on Thursday via a conference call. “This team is heading in the right direction.”
Poyer, 28, is a former seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2013. That alone comes with plenty of uncertainty since quite often a seventh rounder doesn’t ever make an active roster. Poyer did, but was eventually released by the Eagles. From there, he latched on with the Browns. However, that time is mostly remember for injury trouble.
In 2016, he suffered a lacerated kidney and concussion and was rushed to the hospital. With so much uncertainty surrounding his health, the Bills signed him to a reasonable four-year, $13 million deal. His two-year extension will pay him $20 million with the Bills alone. Again, a deserved pay raise.
Poyer reflected on the 2017 offseason, one which saw him become one of Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott’s first free agent signees.
“I wasn’t really sure where my carer would end up,” Poyer said. “It was really a blessing in disguise to come to Buffalo.”
Part of that blessing ended up being his safety partner Micah Hyde, too. For the foreseeable future, that pair, one that’s become one of the best safety tandems in the NFL, will now be locked in next to each other. Keeping next to Hyde was another appealing aspect for Poyer.
“I learned so much in the game from him,” Poyer said of Hyde, who’s also a close friend of his off the field. “I’m really excited just for the next step we can take… him and I together, our secondary and our whole defense.”
Poyer is the first domino to fall on the Bills’ list of players to re-sign in the next year. With Poyer locked up, now the Bills will likely turn attention to the likes of cornerback Tre’Davious White, linebacker Matt Milano and offensive tackle Dion Dawkins.