The Buffalo Bills are set to release former All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer, per a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN. The move will save the the team $5.72 million in cap space and actual cash.
Jordan Poyer came to the Buffalo Bills via free agency back in 2017, as one half of what became a shutdown tandem at safety with Micah Hyde. Head coach Sean McDermott made a concerted effort to bring Poyer on board his defense, seeing the potential he brought from his unheralded play with the Cleveland Browns.
In seven seasons with the Bills, Poyer started every game he played, making 682 tackles (474 solo), 35 tackles for loss, and 15 quarterback hits; adding 48 pass defenses, eight forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and 11 sacks, and 22 interceptions (for 151 yards) with one touchdown.
Though Poyer’s stats tell the story of an accomplished career, they don’t fully illustrate the vastly important role he played within the Buffalo Bills’ defense each season.
Almost immediately, Poyer made himself a household name with Bills Mafia, thanks to his on-field play. He elevated the physicality of the entire defense, and brought his A-game each and every snap, often making game-saving or game-changing plays in the biggest moments.
Jordan Poyer was named to the first-team Associated Press All-Pro list in 2021, and made his first Pro Bowl the following year, off a productive 2022 NFL season.
If this is, indeed, the final goodbye for Jordan Poyer, he exits One Bills Drive having put together one of the most fully dominant safety careers in franchise history.
One of his final plays in a Bills uniform found him making a game-changing forced fumble via a well-time goal-line punch against Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. The ball bounced out of the back of the end zone and thwarted what was a certain six points for the Chiefs at that moment.
Poyer’s production knew no boundaries for Buffalo, and the stories of his warrior-like mentality shine through in so many efforts.
That perception was perhaps most famously exemplified in his traveling 16 hours via van to face the Kansas City Chiefs after not being cleared to fly with a ribs injury. Said injury, had occurred the week prior on the road against the Baltimore Ravens — a game in which he caught two game-changing interceptions to secure victory for the Bills.
Jordan will be missed for so many reasons — as a person, a player, and for everything he does to help those less fortunate in and around Buffalo, NY and elsewhere. Thanks for an incredible seven-year run, All-Pro Po!