5 best free agency signings in Buffalo Bills’ history feat. Jordan Poyer

Fans all over the league are hopeful about who their teams can recruit to make them contenders in 2025 as the NFL's legal tampering period and free agency begin in a few days.

Free agency gives teams like the Buffalo Bills the chance to make signings to strengthen their roster, which could lead to a championship. The financially constrained Bills are anticipated to be active during this year's free agency, but they aren't expected to make big signings.

However, the Bills have made notable free-agent acquisitions over the years, including Von Miller and Jordan Poyer. We'll look at some of the team's best free-agent acquisitions here.

Ranking the Buffalo Bills’ best free agent signings in history

#5 - Ted Washington (defensive lineman)

Ted Washington accepted an agreement for three years worth $3.3 million with the Buffalo Bills in 1995 after playing for the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos for the first four seasons of his NFL career.

Washington earned his first Pro Bowl in 1997, his third season with the Bills, after recording 80 tackles and four sacks. In 1998 and 2000, he got two additional Pro Bowl nods.

Washington helped the Bills' defense achieve top-10 status in total defense from 1996 to 2000. In his time in Buffalo, he recorded 19.5 sacks and 378 tackles.

#4 - Doug Flutie (quarterback)

Doug Flutie, who was selected in the first round of the 1985 draft by the Los Angeles Rams, struggled for playing time in his first stint in the league, starting only 14 games for two teams in four years. He then joined the Canadian Football League, where he found great success.

In 1998, at the age of 36, Flutie accepted a two-year agreement with Buffalo following eight seasons in the CFL.

Flutie led the team to the playoffs in his first season with the Bills, earning himself a Pro Bowl berth and NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in the process.

In the 1999 season, Flutie helped Buffalo secure a second straight postseason qualification, but he was controversially benched during their wild-card game, which ended in a loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Flutie's starting record in his three years with the Bills was 21-9. Additionally, the team missed the playoffs for the next 17 seasons following his departure at the end of the 2000 season.

#3 - Micah Hyde (safety)

Micah Hyde, who began his career with the Green Bay Packers in 2013, signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills ahead of the 2017 season.

After making an immediate impression on the Bills defense during his first campaign, Hyde was selected to the Pro Bowl and named to the AP All-Pro second Team. Additionally, he played a key role in the team ending its 17-year postseason drought that season.

Hyde made 95 starts for the Bills from 2017 to 2023, recording 417 tackles and 16 interceptions. He also had a significant impact as a team leader, helping Buffalo win the AFC East division four times in a row.

#2 - Bryce Paup (linebacker)

Bryce Paup had already proven himself as a reliable pass-rushing linebacker in five seasons with the Green Bay Packers before he joined Buffalo in 1995. However, he took his game to a whole new level in his first year with the Bills.

Paup led the league with 17.5 sacks, the fourth-best single-season total of the 1990s, and was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his first season in Buffalo. During his time with the Bills, which ended when he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998, the star linebacker recorded 215 tackles, 33 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, two interceptions and was selected to three Pro Bowls.

#1 - Jordan Poyer (safety)

Jordan Poyer, who originally entered the league as a seventh-round pick in 2013, played for the Buffalo Bills from 2017 till 2023. In addition to earning All-Pro honors in 2021, he tallied 22 picks, 48 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, 11 sacks and 682 tackles throughout his time there.

Together with Micah Hyde and head coach Sean McDermott, Poyer helped transform the Bills into a consistent playoff challenger, making him one of the team's most loved players during his time.