Buffalo Bills: Grading Micah Hyde’s contract extension

The Buffalo Bills have one of the best safety duos in the NFL and after signing Jordan Poyer to a contract extension last offseason, they ensured the other half will remain with the team past this season. Micah Hyde was set to be a free agent after this season but signed a two-year contract extension to keep him with the Bills through the 2023 season.

Micah Hyde was one of the first free agents that Sean McDermott brought in when he was named head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2017. Since that move, Hyde has started all but two games and has 282 total tackles, nine interceptions, and 25 passes defended. He also earned his only trip to the Pro Bowl back in 2017.

While there is no question that Hyde is valuable to this defense and a key part of the team’s success, a significant part of grading any deal is the contract. The extension Hyde signed was a two-year deal worth $19.25 million with an average salary of $9,625,000. This is just over a 3.5 million dollar increase in average salary from the five-year deal he signed when he joined the Buffalo Bills in 2017.

This average salary makes him the 13th highest-paid safety and just slightly behind teammate Jordan Poyer, who has an average salary of $9,750,000, according to Spotrac.

Final Grade: A-

When considering what Micah Hyde has done on the field as a part of this defense, it is really hard to make an argument against this being a great deal for the Buffalo Bills. If there is a concern it is that he is 30 years old and he has seen his play drop slightly over his time with the Bills from that Pro Bowl season in 2017. However, any drop he has in his play he makes up for with his leadership.

The Buffalo Bills last season came within one game of the Super Bowl and the focus of Brandon Beane appears to be keeping that core part of the roster together and Micah Hyde is a big part of that core. When considering where his average salary falls among safeties, this is an excellent move for the Buffalo Bills.