Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) - Heading into the NFL offseason, there were a lot of unknowns when it came to the future of safety Jordan Poyer with the Buffalo Bills. With his contract expiring once the 2023 NFL league year began, was he going to re-sign with the Bills, or look to cash in elsewhere as one of the higher paid safeties in the game?
After exploring the free agent market once the league's negotiating period opened on Monday at 12 p.m. ET, Poyer made the decision to return to the Bills and sign a two-year contract.
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"Ultimately, it came down to what I thought was going to make me happy, and what I thought was going to be best for myself and my family moving forward," said Poyer during his press conference with the Buffalo media on Thursday in Orchard Park.
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Even Poyer, himself, wasn't sure if he would play another game in a Bills uniform after their season ended at home against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round. He says it was a 50/50 decision, and it was the first time in a while he tested the free agent market.
As for his brief free agency period, Poyer described it as "waiting and see what happens," as other free agent safeties were coming off the board. Poyer knew he did not want to ruin any relationships within the organization, as he was would not rule out a return to Buffalo entirely.
The Bills did lose a big piece on defense in free agency, as linebacker Tremaine Edmunds signed a four-year deal with the Chicago Bears worth a reported $72 million. Poyer says he's super happy for Edmunds getting paid, but knows they will continue to move forward, and is confident with the guys currently in place on the defense.
"You've got the best safety duo in the game, and you've got, I believe, one of the best corners [Tre'Davious White] in the game," Poyer said.
The Bills will also be without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier this upcoming season, who decided to take a step back from coaching. Poyer knows he will be someone that will be truly missed this year.
"He's somebody that had learned to trust me," he said. "He gave me the playbook in a sense of help these young guys."
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The 2022 season was very rocky for Poyer, who was in-and-out of the lineup and banged up throughout the year with a number of injuries. Poyer even decided to make the trek by van to Kansas City in order to play a pivotal Week 6 matchup with the Chiefs, because he was not medically cleared to fly with the team.
"It was a lot of stress, but at the same time, I wouldn't have changed it at all," Poyer said. "I feel like I'm a better man, a better player because of it. I just needed time after the season to get healthy."
Poyer still feels he has his best football ahead of him, and can still can play at a high level to help the Bills win a lot of games.
Now that he's signed and locked up for two more years, Poyer is happy to get back to work, relax, and even enjoy a round of golf.
