What QB Josh Allen said about Bills potentially re-signing S Micah Hyde

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen spoke about the idea of the team re-signing veteran safety Micah Hyde.

Kyle Silagyi | Nov 14, 2024

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Much has been made about the turnover experienced by the Buffalo Bills’ leadership group throughout the 2024 offseason, but now more than halfway through the 2024 campaign, there’s an outside chance that a familiar face and trusted voice within the organization could make their return to One Bills Drive.

Veteran safety Micah Hyde, who earned two All-Pro nods as he started 95 games for the Bills from 2017–2023, is currently without a club as he weighs his playing future. It’s possible that the 33-year-old never takes another NFL snap, but if he does, he’s reiterated on several occasions that it will be with the Bills; Buffalo’s brass has long been open to the idea of ultimately bringing Hyde back, with Sean McDermott stating as recently as October that the former stalwart is “always on [the team’s] radar.”

The Bills have gotten generally solid safety play from Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin through the first 10 weeks of the season, and the defense, as a whole, has looked stout as the team has constructed an 8-2 record. That said, Hyde’s availability will be a talking point amongst the fanbase until a definitive conclusion (one way or the other) is reached; quarterback Josh Allen addressed the ever-present rumblings during his Wednesday media availability, telling reporters that he has spoken with his former teammate throughout the year.

“I’ve talked with him a little bit, checked in with him a little bit,” Allen said. “Love that guy. I don’t know what you want me to say there.”

Allen went on to address the idea of re-signing Hyde directly, stating that while he’d be happy to welcome the veteran back to Orchard Park, he has faith in the team’s current safeties.

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“That would be great, but depending on, I don’t know what you want me to say,” Allen said. “I don’t have any thoughts or ways about it. I think our guys are, especially on the defensive side of the ball, are playing really fantastic football right now. But if there was an opportunity that arose to have him back, I think everybody in this locker room would welcome him with open arms.”

This is the first year of Allen’s professional career that he has not shared a locker room with Hyde, so their rapport and the quarterback’s openness to his return are not at all surprising. A seven-year starter who knows the defense like the back of his hand, Hyde would likely provide a boost to Buffalo’s defense (in at least a depth role) as it prepares for a postseason run; that said, having missed most of the 2022 season with a neck injury and suffering several subsequent stingers throughout 2023, Hyde’s long-term health plays a significant role in his playing future.

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