Bills Face Tough Free Agency Decision with Jordan Poyer

Jordan Poyer’s Age and Injury History

Poyer is 31 years old and while this is not ancient for an NFL safety he does likely have at least a few good years left, especially considering 2021 and 2022 have been his best seasons yet, and his impact on the field is undeniable. However, the Bills are already pushing money down the road for aging stars such as Von Miller. Adding yet another big contract and deferring a cap hit is a dangerous game that will eventually have consequences that the Bills will have to face.

Beyond just his age, Poyer’s body is older than his years. He has taken a significant physical beating in recent seasons. In 2022 alone he suffered several different injuries including:

• A hyper-extended elbow in the preseason
• A sprained foot in Week 2
• A rib injury in Week 4 led to a collapsed lung and prevented him from flying to the KC game, which he rode 15 hours to and from
• A torn meniscus in his knee in Week 15
• A concussion in the AFC Divisional Round

While Poyer’s toughness cannot be questioned, on top of playing through various injuries, he did miss 4 games in 2022. The impact of Poyer’s absence in those games cannot be denied, as all three of the Bills’ regular season losses came in games that he missed. However, Poyer is not getting any younger, and it is not reasonable to expect his body to hold up better as he ages.

The Buffalo Bills salary cap situation is not getting better.  And given that Spotrac.com projects him to receive a three-year, $33 million contract, and a franchise tag would cost the Bills $ 14 million, as currently constructed the Bills would likely be better off allocating those resources elsewhere considering all the factors.