After testing the market, free agent safety Jordan Poyer has decided to return to New York and re-sign with the Buffalo Bills.
The 31-year-old, considered one of the top defensive backs in the NFL, will head into his seventh season with the Bills after agreeing to a two-year deal, the team announced Wednesday.
Poyer dealt with a variety of injuries during the 2022 season, beginning with an elbow injury in training camp, but played in 12 regular-season games and both playoff games. The Bills went 12-0 in the regular season with Poyer active. His season finished with his first career Pro Bowl appearance.
His career was transformed when he came to Buffalo and was paired with fellow safety Micah Hyde, becoming a full-time starter and receiving league recognition for his performance. He has shown that he’s a productive defender who can play from post, split-field or rolled-down alignments — allowing just 14 catches for 102 yards as the nearest defender in coverage, according to NFL Next Gen Stats data.
Of Poyer’s 101 career regular-season starts since joining the league in 2013, 91 have come in his six seasons with the Bills.
Poyer, 31 (April 25), along with Hyde, signed with the Bills in free agency in 2017, the first year under coach Sean McDermott. He was named a first-team All-Pro after his career-best statistical season in 2021. Poyer finished that year with 5 interceptions, 9 passes defended, 3 sacks and 8 tackles for loss.
Poyer was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL draft out of Oregon State. He spent part of 2013 and the 2014-16 seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
He has 24 interceptions, 50 passes defended, 11 sacks, 8 forced fumbles and 706 tackles over 10 NFL seasons.
ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg and Matt Bowen contributed to this report.