The Buffalo Bills and general manager Brandon Beane began the process of digging out of one of the league's biggest salary cap holes, by releasing one of the franchise's most vital defensive weapons in Jordan Poyer.
Wednesday, the Bills released veteran safety Jordan Poyer, in a move first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Bills are releasing All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer, per source.
Free-agent safety market grows. pic.twitter.com/nOcqJk1KA8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2024
Beane seemed to telegraph this move in Indianapolis during the NFL Combine.
"Whether that's you have to replace it all at once or whether you keep one or keep both, those are all decisions we're still working through on our end," Beane told reporters of the Bills' safety situation with Poyer and Micah Hyde.
Poyer, 32, is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career, finishing the 2023 season with 101 total tackles with one sack.
However, given the dire straits the Bills find themselves in ahead of free agency and the new NFL league year beginning on March 13, the cap space created by releasing Poyer proved more valuable than his contributions on defense.
By releasing Poyer, Beane and the Bills created approximately $5.72 million in cap space for the 2024 season, while triggering a $2 million dead money charge.
Through the first 12 seasons of his career, Poyer has produced 806 total tackles with 12 sacks, and 24 interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, after being chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh-round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Beane and the Bills still have plenty of work to do to get cap-compliant, because Buffalo is currently approximately $36.38 million over the cap, even after releasing Poyer.
In spite of the tough decision to part ways with a defensive stalwart like Poyer, the Bills and Beane are navigating the salary cap crunch, hoping to maintain their place near the top of the AFC hierarchy around quarterback Josh Allen as one of the biggest threats to the Kansas City Chiefs winning a third consecutive Super Bowl.
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