After 12 seasons in the NFL, Jordan Poyer is at a crossroads in his playing career.
The veteran safety remains a free agent as teams enter the early phases of preparation for the 2025 season. Poyer is coming off a wayward campaign in Miami where he wasn't involved in the postseason for the first time in five years following a flourishing tenure in Buffalo.
Appearing on Good Morning Football on Wednesday, Poyer, 34, admitted that he's currently enjoying his time away from the game and is coming to grips that his playing days will come to an end sooner rather than later, but he would "absolutely" love to play in 2025 and a return to the Bills would be the ideal place to call it a career.
"I love the game, you know? I'm in a place right now where I played 12 years, extremely thankful and blessed to have played the game for such a long time," Poyer said. "Last year was an extremely tough year on so many levels. Our team wasn't very good. I didn't play as well as I wanted to play. It was just a really tough year. Obviously, transitioning from Buffalo to Miami, cultures being different, systems being different, it just didn't work out the way that anybody had hoped. But at the same time, I'm thankful for it all, thankful for all the moments, all the friendships. Would I like to play again? Absolutely. Whatever that looks like. ... It'd be dope, it'd be ideal to have a fantasy ending and be able to retire a Bill, but who knows? I'm just being an open book right now, really enjoying life for what it is."
Poyer spent seven seasons with the Bills and was an instrumental part of Buffalo's resurgence to perennial contention. Alongside Micah Hyde, Poyer was a key presence in the backend of Sean McDermott's defense, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl seasons in 2021 and 2022, respectively. It was an endearing success story for a former seventh-round pick who was released during his rookie season before spending his next three years as a fringe starter with the Browns.
"Extremely thankful for the Bills organization, Philadelphia organization, Cleveland, Miami, but in particular, Buffalo," he said. "That's my home. My heart is always going to be there. I'm always thankful for all the moments that I had there, all the teammates, all the cool people, like (GMFB guest host) Mitch [Morse], that I met out there. I'm just playing it by ear right now, but would I love to play? Absolutely."
Returning to the Bills would make sense because of his familiarity with the defense, but Buffalo is well equipped with Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp at the starting safety positions. Poyer's leadership in the locker room could make for a quality addition in terms of depth, but him seeing ample playing time would be another thing.
Poyer pointed to the current safety market as a possible issue for his current unemployment.
"There was a time where it seemed like the safety market was booming a few years ago," Poyer said. "The safety market has always been kinda that 'do we give them the money or do we not?' It's almost like the running back money. It's almost like 'do we pay these safeties who are coming and playing 80 plays a game and having to come downhill and hitting these All-Pro running backs all day?' It depends on, I guess, the system that you're in, the connections that you have. There's a lot of really talented safeties out there that should be getting their bags, but that's just the market and how it is right now. You can kinda see that in some of the days that are taking place. But I'm all for all the safeties in the league getting as much money as they can."
Biding his time for a potential return to Buffalo is certainly in play for Poyer, even months from now. It could be a similar situation to that of Hyde, who was a late-season addition by the Bills for depth as they prepared for a playoff run. Hyde declared 2024 would be his final season upon signing to their practice squad.
It remains to be seen if Poyer will have that same chance for one last run in Buffalo or elsewhere.