Safety Micah Hyde admitted a while back he wasn’t fully sold on joining the Buffalo Bills when he first arrived in 2017. The hard-hitting safety and former Green Bay Packers defensive back wasn’t enthralled with once again playing in the cold weather, and the Bills were perennial losers. But the money was hard to turn down, along with his promised role in the defense.
Four years later, Hyde is one of Buffalo’s biggest boosters. It’s time to put this man on the tourism board.
Back when Hyde signed a two-year, $19.25 million contract extension - an average salary that’s just a $3.5 million increase from his original contract - Hyde recounted his failed efforts trying to convince players to join him in Orchard Park. Now, the joke is on them.
“They’d be like, ‘I’m cool. I’m gonna go somewhere else,’” Hyde told the Buffalo media in his Zoom conference call after the extension. “Well, you know what? At the end of the day, I bet they’re pretty pissed off they didn’t take those visits to Buffalo. Now they’re probably sitting on their trash team or sitting on the couch somewhere else because they didn’t come to Buffalo.”
Hyde has enjoyed four remarkable campaigns with the Bills, reaching the playoffs three times, and playing in last year’s AFC Championship. Along with Jordan Poyer, he's part of one of the best safety tandems in the league.
General manager Brandon Beane has been able to coax many core players into returning on discounted deals. It’s a testament to the stability of the organization. Hyde is ready for that Super Bowl run — and eager to show the doubters they were wrong.
“There’s just a lot of guys that think Buffalo is the old Buffalo, not winning and all that,” he said. “It’s disrespectful because the city is an amazing city. The team and organization are amazing. At the end of the day we’re trying to win football games, and if you don’t want to be in Buffalo, don’t come.”
Can training camp just start already?
