A person with direct knowledge of discussions informed The Associated Press on Wednesday that Poyer was informed of his pending release. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the conversation was private, and was first reported by ESPN.com.
Neal’s agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the news of Neal’s pending departure as first reported by NFL.com.
Both players had one year left on their contracts, with the Bills freeing up an estimated $8.1 million in salary cap space. Buffalo entered the offseason being a projected NFL-high $44 million over the 2024 season cap.
Poyer’s release was not considered a surprise, given how the two-year contract he signed last year was structured.
Poyer’s departure signals the breakup of one of the NFL’s longest active-serving safety tandems in playing alongside Micah Hyde, who is considering retirement. The two players signed with Buffalo hours apart as free agents in 2017, and opened each season as starters since.
Poyer and Hyde’s signings were significant to coach Sean McDermott, in representing the team’s first major additions after he took over as coach two months earlier.
Neal completed his sixth season in Buffalo.
Earlier in the day, the Bills reached an agreement to sign backup offensive lineman David Edwards to a two-year contract extension, a second person with direct knowledge of talks told The AP.
The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the Bills have not announced the agreement that was first reported by The 33rd Team.
The 26-year-old Edwards had completed his one-year contract with Buffalo, and was set to become an unrestricted free agent next week. Primarily an interior lineman, Edwards appeared in all 17 games in a backup role last season.
His return to Buffalo comes two days after the Bills acquired a fifth-round draft pick by trading backup interior lineman Ryan Bates to Chicago in a salary cap savings-related move.
Edwards signed with Buffalo in free agency a year ago after spending his first four seasons with the Los Angele Rams. He was selected by L.A. in the fifth round of the 2019 draft out of Wisconsin, and had 45 starts in 53 games with the Rams.
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