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The drama between the Buffalo Bills and Jordan Poyer has been brewing for months, and one insider believes it will end with an unlikely reunion.
Poyer and his management team had been openly pressing for a contract extension throughout the last season, making public their desire for a new deal that will keep him in Buffalo for the remainder of his career. While the Bills did give some concessions to Poyer in the form of added incentives in his contract, the two sides could not come to an agreement on a contract extension and the All-Pro safety is now headed toward free agency.
But ESPN’s Field Yates believes that the Bills will ultimately bring Poyer back for what will likely be his final NFL contract.
Bills Expected to Bring Back Poyer
Though Poyer struggled through a series of injuries last season, he was still a key part of the defense, making 63 tackles and four interceptions. Yates wrote that the Bills still highly value Poyer and had a desire to reach a contract extension, predicting that they will re-sign the All-Pro safety.
“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.”
There have been some ominous signs regarding Poyer’s return, however. He posted a cryptic Instagram message saying goodbye to fans, and his wife posted a message on Twitter indicating that they were packing up and leaving Buffalo.
Poyer, who will turn 32 in April, said his first focus this offseason is getting back to full health so he can be more impactful in the 2023 season.
“I’ve done everything I could to put myself in this position right now,” Poyer told The Athletic at the Pro Bowl. “I know I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries, but I feel I just need an offseason to get healthy. I can still play at a high level. That’s my main goal this offseason, to get healthy so I can play all 17-plus games.”
Bills Could Have Other Plans in Case Poyer Leaves
As The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia noted, the Bills may be making their succession plans in case Poyer does not return. Rookie cornerback Christian Benford had a strong season, earning the starting job while All-Pro Tre’Davious White was finishing up rehab on his torn ACL, but Buscaglia believes the Bills may have long-term plans for Benford at safety.
“Benford would be a logical move for a player who took well to their zone principles as a boundary cornerback and showed a workable level of instincts in that different role,” Buscaglia wrote. “The Bills were quite happy with Benford last year and could try to find a way to get him on the field. At safety, he’d have a chance at a starting position either in 2023 or 2024, along with excellent size (6 foot 1, 205 pounds) and athleticism, while learning from one of the best in [Micah] Hyde.”
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