It’s cap sacrifice season. The new league year begins on March 13th and every team in the league must be under the hard salary cap by 4:00 p.m. EST on that day. Teams across the league are bleeding talent to reach the $255.4 million figure.
The Buffalo Bills were hit the hardest. They released three starters and two key contributors. One of those players was safety Jordan Poyer. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2021, but was still a cap casualty for the Bills, who were forced to do so angrily lost his salary after campaigning hard for a Super Bowl two years ago.
Poyer isn’t the only decorated player at his position to be released this offseason, either. Both Kevin Byard and Eddie Jackson were first-team All-Pro safeties in their careers, and both players in their early 30s were released. The Philadelphia Eagles was traded for Byard midway through the season to try to bolster a struggling defense.
Justin Simmons has not yet been named first-team All-Pro, but has made the second team in four of the last five seasons, including 2023 Denver Broncos have a Russell Wilson-sized one Pill to swallow. With the franchise poised to eat up $85 million in dead money by firing him – which could be spread over two seasons – one of the Broncos’ best defensive players had to go.
The safety is now the running back of the NFL defense. It is a position of great importance, but not as difficult to fill as cornerback or defensive lineman. Weak points in these positions can be uncovered much more easily by offenses.
Collateral is more of a last line of defense. When a running back gets through the line and linebackers, you rely on the safeties to prevent the play from becoming a touchdown. Their role in pass defense is also largely to prevent big plays, but defensive coordinators like to think of ways to use them in surprise attacks.
Kyle Hamilton gave the Kansas City Chiefs the Blues during the AFC Championship game, particularly in the first half. A player like him with the linebacker tackling talent but also the athleticism to protect players one-on-one makes him a unique talent.
Others who simply perform their duties, even if they do it better than the vast majority of the NFL, seem to be considered available. That’s the message being sent by cutting talented safeties so teams can cut salary. Some teams are simply doing this to gain more cap space rather than seeking a cut to $255.4 million.
The NFL is a tough business. Teams in all leagues want to cap player salaries. However, there are so many players and quarterbacks in the NFL that they take up a huge percentage of cap space. Being good is not good enough. In the NFL, players fall into two categories: essential or highly expendable.
Safeties are becoming the most expendable players, at least on defense. Luckily for these players, Derwin James signed the largest contract in NFL history for the position – 5 years, $76.5 million.
Since these types of salaries are still offered for the best players, safeties are not treated like running backs. But when it comes to defensive players, teams will look at that position first when it comes to getting their books in order.