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Alaina GetzenbergESPN
BUFFALO, N.Y. — All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer will attend the Buffalo Bills‘ mandatory minicamp this week after skipping the team’s voluntary OTAs amid a request for a contract extension, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Poyer, along with other veterans including fellow starting safety Micah Hyde, has been absent throughout the team’s voluntary portion of the offseason workouts, but will be with the team during the mandatory practices before breaking for the summer. The team has stayed in communication with Poyer’s agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln, a source told Schefter.
“I have not spoken directly to Jordan,” general manager Brandon Beane said last week. “I don’t have any indication that he won’t be here. So, hopefully we’ll get him back in here and be excited to see him.”
While Poyer will be in attendance, his level of participation might be less than normal. He is seeking an extension as he enters the final year of his contract. Poyer, 31, was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time last season. The captain finished on the league’s No. 1 pass defense with five interceptions, tied for most on the team with Hyde, who is under contract through 2023.
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said that he has stayed in touch with Poyer while he has been absent from OTAs.
“I think Jordan is in a good place mentally,” Frazier said. “He’s still staying in touch with his teammates, and hopefully, we’ll see him soon.”
Defensive backs Jaquan Johnson and Damar Hamlin, along with Nick McCloud and Josh Thomas, have received more reps with Poyer’s and Hyde’s absences at practice.
The Bills have multiple players on the last year of their deals entering a pivotal 2022 season, including tight end Dawson Knox and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.