Getty Bills safety Jordan Poyer #21 runs a drill before a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Highmark Stadium on August 13, 2022.
While Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer and his wife, Rachel Bush, strongly insinuated that they would not be staying in Orchard Park after the season ended, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news that All-Pro tried his luck in free agency and had a change of heart.
Rapoport tweeted, “#Bills safety Jordan Poyer is expected to sign… back in Buffalo, sources say. He checked out the market, but returned to the #BillsMafia… There are still matters to be worked out, but one of the #Bills stars isn’t going anywhere.”
According to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, Poyer is signing a two-year deal with Buffalo.
NFL Network‘s Cameron Wolfe tweeted at 1 p.m. ET that he spoke to Poyer on Wednesday, “Who said he verbally agreed to return to Bills 45 mins ago. Poyer checked out the market but felt his age (32 next month) limited his interest so deal wasn’t all he wanted. But happy to be back w/ teammates & knows they can compete for title.”
Two weeks ago, Poyer deleted every photo of him in a Bills jersey from his Instagram page before proceeding to clear out every single picture to have zero posts. This move came on the heels of Poyer saying on his self-titled podcast, “A lot of people ask me, ‘Oh, if it wasn’t Buffalo, where would you go?’ I kind of ponder the question every once in a while. I would love to go to a state that doesn’t take half of my money… It’d be nice to be warm. It would be nice to see the sun, maybe, every week or so, every other week at least.”
As for Rachel Bush, who has continuously tweeted about her husband getting the contract he deserves this offseason, she shared what sounded like a farewell to Bills Mafia on March 12.
She tweeted, “& to the vast majority of the amazing and supportive fans in buffalo -we love y’all!! Our time there was nothing short of amazing. It’s a place where Jordan grew into the man and All Pro player he is today and due to that buffalo & the fans, will always be special to us !!”
Twitter Strongly Reacted to the News that Poyer was Staying in Buffalo
While no one can deny Poyer’s talent or dedication to the team, his decision to stay in Buffalo took many people by surprise. The Bills were expected to prioritize keeping Tremaine Edmunds, 24, over the veteran safety, but the young linebacker agreed to a massive contract to join the Chicago Bears, a move which Poyer applauded.
Much of Bills Mafia was thrilled to have the safety back, as it’s hard not to get excited about the return of the All-Pro safety duo that is Poyer and Micah Hyde, the latter of whom still has one year left on his contract. Poyer’s first tweet after his return was announced read,” .@Micah_hyde hey bud 😎👋🏾.”
Some fans couldn’t help but comment on Poyer’s recent free agency comments, or his wife’s posts on Twitter.
@AdamSchefter Rachel Bush right now
Famous Bills fan Luke Russert tweeted after seeing the news, “Yes! Hope it’s enough to hire a good accountant. #BillsMafia, ” while the Circling the Wagon podcast wrote, “Somebody check in on Rachel.”
The Bills Denied Giving Poyer an Extension Last Year
GettyJordan Poyer celebrates after making an interception in a Buffalo Bills game.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for Poyer’s future in Buffalo when the safety, who’s played for the Bills since 2017, hired super agent Drew Rosenhaus before the 2022 NFL season started to negotiate an extension. Buffalo did not secure the All-Pro, and instead offered him a restructured deal with much higher incentives.
Due to a laundry list of injuries, he powered through a hyper-extended elbow, sprained foot, rib injuries, a collapsed lung, and a torn meniscus — Poyer never earned the bonus money. During the AFC Divisional Playoff game, a concussion suffered early in the fourth quarter forced an early exit during what very much looked like his last game in Buffalo.
The Bills went 13-1 when Poyer was active. He finished the regular season with 46 solo tackles, four interceptions, and 16 receptions allowed. In 2021, Poyer tallied 61 solo tackles, five interceptions, and 13 receptions allowed.
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Bills All-Pro Returns After ‘He Checked Out the Market’: Report