Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bills re-sign starting safety to one-year contract

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Anthony Miller | Last updated Mar 12, 2025 10:49 AM ET

The Buffalo Bills have brought back a key player in their secondary to ensure they can keep as many of their former draft picks as possible.

Safety Damar Hamlin and the Bills agreed on a one-year deal on Wednesday, according to the team.

Hamlin returns for his fifth season in Buffalo after the team selected him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has posted 184 tackles, eight tackles for loss, nine pass deflections and two interceptions in 48 games. Hamlin started in 14 games with the Bills last season as he made 89 tackles and had career-highs in pass deflections (five) and interceptions (two).

The feel-good story continues for Hamlin in the NFL after he suffered a cardiac arrest in the Cincinnati Bengals game in 2023 that nearly cost him his life. He has been able to recover since then and has become an integral piece to the defense.

This at least gives the Bills some much-needed stability in the secondary as the team still has Rasul Douglas and Kareem Jackson available in free agency . More work needs to be done at cornerback with Christian Benford being talked about for a contract extension this offseason.

Buffalo has time to make some more magic happen in free agency, but the Hamlin signing gives them and the fan base some comfort in terms of the defensive backfield.