Getty Bills safety Jordan Poyer.
The Buffalo-to-New Jersey pipeline was very active last season as former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll became the head coach of the New York Giants and brought many of his former players with him.
There could be another big name bolting the Bills for the Giants this offseason. A new report claims that the Giants are expected to show interest in soon-to-be free-agent safety Jordan Poyer, who is expected to generate plenty of interest on the open market. Poyer has dropped some cryptic remarks about his future, hinting that his days with the Bills are over and he looks forward to a new setting.
Jordan Poyer Will Have ‘Long List’ of Offers
Rumors of Poyer’s departure from Buffalo have been growing for months, starting when his agent publicly pushed for an extension that never came and continuing through cryptic remarks hinting at his departure.
The 32-year-old former All-Pro now appears destined to hit the open market, and one league executive told NFL Analysis Network that the Giants will be among a number of teams expected to show interest.
“Add the Giants in as a team with interest in Poyer,” the exec said. “He’ll have a long list of offers to choose from, but New York is a team to watch.”
Giants targeting Bills free agent safety Jordan Poyer? #TogetherBlue
Other analysts agree that Poyer should generate significant interest on the open market. Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports ranked Poyer as the No. 3 available safety in free agency, noting that he has been one of the league’s most productive safeties.
“Poyer has been a valuable piece to the back end of Buffalo’s secondary alongside Micah Hyde, but the 31-year-old could be looking for one last major payday on the open market,” Sullivan wrote. “He was a first-team All-Pro safety in 2021 and followed that up with a Pro Bowl campaign in 2022 where he had 63 tackles, eight pass breakups, and four interceptions in 12 regular season games.”
Return to Buffalo Remains an Option
Despite the hints from Poyer that he’s ready for a setting and speculation from insiders that he will land elsewhere, some believe that a return to Buffalo could still be in the cards. ESPN’s Field agreed with Sullivan’s sentiment that Poyer would be looking for one final payday, but believes his best bet at a big deal may be with the Bills.
“Poyer continues to play at an extremely high level, and both sides have been interested in an extension for some time,” Yates wrote. “He’ll be entering the 2023 season at 32 years old, which makes this his best shot at one more lucrative deal.”
Though the Bills are currently close to $20 million over the salary cap, Beane has a few maneuvers at hand that could bring that number down, including a contract restructure for Josh Allen.
Beane has hinted that he will try his best to keep both Poyer and Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
The Bills sit close to $20M over the 2023 salary cap. GM Brandon Beane said they are likely to restructure some contracts to help get under before the new league year. Here’s more, and what he said about Tremaine Edmunds and Jordan Poyer: t.co/FwIiMcQapQ via @WGR550
“You want to keep as many as you can, but we do have to fit it into that pie. And it won’t be easy, but we’ll look and see what ways we can keep one or both,” Beane said. “And if we can’t keep either one of them. We’ll look into other ways to refill those voids.”