Reports: Bills ‘expected’ to Lose Poyer, Edmunds
NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on NFL Live Tuesday that it is “expected” that the Buffalo Bills will lose out on two Pro Bowlers, safety Jordan Poyer and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, in free agency.
Now that Tuesday’s NFL franchise tag deadline has passed, we can officially say Buffalo did not use their tag on either Poyer or Edmunds, two key members of their defense for the past few seasons.
Buffalo is $17 million in the hole in cap space right now, good for 28th in the league, per Sportrac. So, their hands could be tied. They need to offload some pieces.
They could have to pick up one of these positions at the 27th overall pick, their first-round selection.
I was surprised Buffalo didn’t jump on the opportunity to franchise tag one of these players. They are both important cogs to different levels of the defense.
Free agency officially opens on March 15.
Jordan Poyer
Many Buffalo fans have already realized that life might be going on in Orchard Park without Jordan Poyer, and it could be tough to find his replacement.
There are a few replacements that could end up in Buffalo that will be free agents. San Francisco’s Jimmie Ward comes to mind.
As for Poyer himself, he’s expressed that he wants to end up in a sunny state. Who wouldn’t after playing in Buffalo all those years? I can see the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins potentially being suitors here. Poyer’s wife, Rachel Bush, even expressed some interest to live in Texas back in November.
It’s also important to remember how state income tax affects players’ decisions. States like New York have high taxes while Florida and Texas don’t have any state income tax.
“I would love to go to a state that doesn’t take half my money,” Poyer said on The Jordan Poyer Podcast. “It would be nice to see the sun, maybe, every week or so, every other week at least.”
I bet he ends up in Miami, but Miami or Dallas would make a lot of sense.
Tremaine Edmunds
As for Edmunds, I’d expect the star middle linebacker to go where he can get the biggest bag.
No doubt, losing Edmunds is going to be tough for Buffalo. He has been the core of their defense for the past five seasons. Actually, I think they would try harder to free up cap and sign Edmunds rather than Poyer if they were to sign one or the other.
I gave my prediction for Edmunds’ free agency destination last week in my Middle linebackers’ destination prediction article. Like many others, Edmunds to Pittsburgh makes too much sense for me not to pick.
I think the move to Pittsburgh makes sense for both Edmunds and the Steelers.
Many other teams will also contend for Edmunds’ services. In fact, he will be one of the most sought-after middle linebackers in the last few seasons.
Expect Washington, New York Giants, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh and potentially many more to be in on Edmunds.
What do you think happens with Tremaine Edmunds and Jordan Poyer? I think the Bills lose both. Poyer seems a little more set in stone, as he has made a lot of his potential landing spots pretty clear. Just about anyone can be in on Edmunds if they want, and some teams are going to end up with two very good former Buffalo Bills.
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