The Buffalo Bills aren’t worried about All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer missing mandatory minicamp, but an analyst believes the team will eventually need to find some common ground in his request for a new contract.
Poyer switched agents this offseason, going with Drew Rosenhaus who quickly made it clear that his client wanted a new deal. Poyer is going into the final year of a three-year extension he signed in 2020 and is set to make $6.7 million in the upcoming season.
“We have approached the Bills about a contract extension for Jordan, and he would very much like to finish his career in Buffalo,” Rosenhaus said, via Tim Graham of The Athletic.
Poyer was absent during optional OTAs, but Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he expects the All-Pro safety to show up for the mandatory minicamp that starts on June 14. While Poyer may not be heading for a holdout, Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus believes that the Bills may need to give in and offer him a bigger deal.
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Poyer Earned His Raise, PFF Says
Spielberger noted that Poyer has been one of the league’s best safeties over the first two years of his contract, earning a grade of 81.0 from the outlet. While Poyer will be 31 this season, the PFF analyst noted that the Minnesota Vikings made a significant investment into their 32-year-old safety last season, giving Harrison Smith a new four-year contract worth $64 million.
Given that he has outplayed the value of his contract, it makes sense that Poyer would want a new deal and could get a similar one, Spielberger wrote.
“While Poyer shouldn’t expect to sign a deal in the $16 million per year range like Smith, which frankly might be the best deal for a player in the NFL, it’s understandable he’s not willing to play for just $6.7 million,” he wrote.
The PFF analyst added that Poyer and fellow safety Micah Hyde brought huge value to the Bills in the 2021 season, especially after cornerback Tre’Davious White suffered a season-ending injury.
“Over the final six weeks of the season with the AFC East title on the line, the Bills’ defense held opposing offenses to -.223 expected points added per dropback, the fourth-best mark in the NFL,” he wrote.
Beane Addresses Poyer’s Contract Demand
While Beane has been notoriously secretive when it comes to contract negotiations, he hinted that there may not be enough money to go around for everyone wanting a deal.
“There’s other guys here that want to be paid, too… I want to pay ’em all — the ones that deserve it and have earned it,” Beane said, via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. “There’s other guys here that I feel have earned it as well, and want to do it. There’s guys that have left here since I’ve been here that I’ve wanted to pay, or our organization has wanted to pay, but you can’t pay them all, to the point of your question.”
There is some speculation that other players may be the ones missing out on new contracts. Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News wrote that linebacker Tremaine Edmunds could be on the hot seat this season, after the Bills picked up his fifth-year option.
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Bills May Need to Give in to All-Pro Safety’s Contract Demand: Analyst