The Buffalo Bills are finishing up organized team activities (OTAs) this week and will hold their mandatory minicamp next week. This is the final team offseason activity before training camp starts at the end of July.
While these past few weeks have been voluntary, one notable absence has been starting safety Jordan Poyer. He is currently set to enter the final year of his contract and it has been reported that he is looking for a new contract.
On Tuesday, general manager Brandon Beane spoke with media and discussed a number of topics, including the status of Poyer. Beane said in reference to Jordan Poyer: “I have not spoken directly to Jordan. I don’t have any indication he won’t be here so you know hopefully we’ll get him back here and will be excited to see him.”
Holdouts during mandatory minicamps and training camps have become less frequent after changes in the latest CBA. However, some players do still elect to hold out, like Seattle Seahawks’ DK Metcalf who is skipping mandatory minicamp this offseason.
Big test for Buffalo Bills and general manager Brandon Beane
Over the five years as general manager, Brandon Beane has done an excellent job turning this roster around. He hasn’t had many missteps along the way, outside of trading Wyatt Teller, who has become one of the best guards in the NFL, to the Cleveland Browns.
He has done a good job finding talent in the NFL Draft and bargains in free agency. More importantly, he has been able to make sure those top players remain in Buffalo with big extensions for Josh Allen, Tre’Davious White, and most recently Stefon Diggs.
However, to this point, he hasn’t had to navigate a public contract negotiation like the one they are dealing with currently with Jordan Poyer. It will be interesting to see if the two sides are able to come to some resolution over the next weeks or months leading up to the 2022 season because Poyer is a big part of this secondary and has been for the past five years.
His absence in practice or in games would certainly be a challenge for the Bills to replace in this defense.