Jan 16, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills strong safety Micah Hyde (23) reacts after a play against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Bills Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills and Micah Hyde agreed to a two-year contract extension on Friday, as the team secured an absolutely key member of its secondary.
Hyde has teamed with Jordan Poyer in Buffalo to become one of the NFL’s most underrated, premier safety tandems. With multiple Bills defensive backs hitting free agency, Hyde was obviously a priority, as 2021 was originally slated to be his contract year.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport disclosed the financial details of Hyde’s new deal, which will net him almost $10 million per season:
Bills head coach Sean McDermott has deployed his scheme to great success in Buffalo, and having the likes of Hyde patrolling the defensive backfield is a big reason why.
Hyde began his career as a fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers back in 2013. He’s exceeded all expectations based on that draft status, being named a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2017, which was his maiden season with the Bills.
The unique way Hyde and Poyer play together is absolutely key to Buffalo’s chances to still field a strong defense this coming season.
Look no further than Pro Football Focus’ data for the Bills’ standout safeties as evidence of this. Here are the following snap counts by position for Hyde and Poyer from the 2020 season:
Cornerbacks Josh Norman and Levi Wallace are hitting the open market, so Bills general manager Brandon Beane still needs to address that position either through free agency or the 2021 NFL Draft.
Buffalo just made the AFC Championship Game and got a huge benefit out of the massive leap quarterback Josh Allen took in his third year as a pro. Hyde is essentially the signal-caller on the other side of the ball as opponents try to keep up with the Bills’ high-octane passing attack driven by Allen and reigning NFL receiving champion Stefon Diggs.
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Having players like Hyde and Poyer in the secondary makes it so much easier for Buffalo to bring in new corners if necessary and can cover for any errors made on the outside. It also helps that either of them can often slide down to the slot in subpackages to give McDermott’s defense more exotic looks.
Hyde might not necessarily be a household name like other NFL stars, but the 30-year-old veteran is as valuable as anyone outside of Allen and Diggs to the Bills’ bid to repeat as AFC East champions.
Considering Tre’Davious White became the highest-paid defensive back at the time when he signed his four-year, $70 million contract extension last September, it’s clear Buffalo values its secondary. White may need to restructure his contract as Beane and the front office seek to push the team that extra little bit so that a Super Bowl trophy is within reach in 2021.
The NFL salary cap is lowered coming into this year, and White is among the Bills’ best players who could help them save a lot of money in the near term as they bid for a championship while Allen is still under his rookie contract. His monster extension will be the next big priority for Beane to get done.
At least in Hyde’s case, even if he’s not helping the cap situation too much, he’s on a relatively short-term, friendly-enough deal to ensure he won’t flee next offseason as a free agent. That gives Buffalo one less thing to worry about as it zeroes in on an eventual, massive payday for its superstar signal-caller.
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