Safety Poyer agrees to deal with Bills
ORCHARD PARK — Safety Jordan Poyer has elected to stay put by reaching a two-year agreement to re-sign with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday after briefly testing free agency.
Poyer’s return immediately solidifies Buffalo’s secondary, which stood to lose a key leader and contributor who spent many of the previous six seasons forming one of the NFL’S top safety tandems in playing alongside Micah Hyde.
And it comes at a time with the Bills’ defense in transition following starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds’ expected departure in free agency, and with coordinator Leslie Frazier choosing to take next season off from coaching.
The agreement represents a key free agency victory for the three-time defending AFC East champion Bills, who entered the signing period with a limited amount of salary cap space. Buffalo was projected to have about $20 million to work with after spending the past few days freeing up more than $40 million in space by restructuring the contracts of quarterback Josh Allen, edge rusher Von Miller, receiver Stefon Diggs and signing linebacker Matt Milano to a two-year contract extension.
The 31-year-old Poyer has 10 years of NFL experience, and blossomed as a player upon joining the Bills in free agency in March 2017, after spending his previous three-plus seasons in Cleveland.
He’s a two-time secondteam All-pro (2017 and 2021), and Poyer’s 22 interceptions since 2017 rank fifth in the NFL.
Despite missing four games to injury, Poyer still finished the season leading the Bills with four interceptions.
Patriots: New England added free agent wide receiver Juju Smith-schuster, who played for Kansas City last season. A person with knowledge of the deal said it is for three years and could be worth as much as $33 million.
Cowboys: Dallas plans to release running back Ezekiel Elliott, ending a seven-season run for a two-time rushing champion. The move will save Dallas about $11 million under the salary cap this season. While Elliott finished with 12 rushing touchdowns in a second consecutive playoff season for the Cowboys in 2022, his overall production never matched the value of a $90 million, six-year extension he signed to end a preseason-long holdout in 2019.
Buccaneers: Tampa Bay has agreed on an $8.5 million, one-year contract with quarterback Baker Mayfield, a person with knowledge of the deal said.
Eagles: Philadelphia has informed five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay that he will be released, a person with knowledge of the decision said.
Vikings: Minnesota agreed to terms on a contract with former Arizona cornerback Byron Murphy, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. Murphy will get a two-year deal worth about $22 million, the person said.
49ers: San Francisco agreed to a one-year contract with former Raiders defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell. Ferrell was mostly a disappointment in four seasons with the Raiders after being drafted fourth overall out of Clemson in 2019. He had 10 sacks in 58 games.
Browns: Cleveland reached an agreement with former Kansas City free agent safety Juan Thornhill on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.