Micah Hyde enjoyed coaching his son’s soccer team in sunny San Diego, but the desire to continue his playing career and the chance to bring a championship to Buffalo was too appealing for the veteran Bills safety.
On Wednesday, Hyde decided to return to snowy Buffalo without knowing if he would play, signing with the team’s practice squad. At 33 years old, Hyde is ready to take on an expanded leadership role as a mentor and coach from the sidelines.
“Listen, I’m here to help. I left my ego in San Diego,” Hyde said.
“The goal has always been to bring a championship back to Buffalo, and if I can help in any way, if I’m able to give T-Rapp or D-Ham or whoever’s out there a nugget to make a big play in a big game, I did my job,” he added, referring to Buffalo’s starting safeties Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin.
Hyde isn’t exactly coming out of retirement. After his contract ended in March, he didn’t get signed by any team. He turned down offers from other teams but kept the possibility of playing open, as long as it was with Buffalo, where he spent the last seven years of his 11-season NFL career.
“Match made in heaven, baby,” he said. “Everyone’s saying, ‘Welcome back.’ It’s more like ‘Welcome home.’”
For Buffalo (10-2), Hyde’s return brings experience, leadership, and a strong understanding of the team’s defense.
“You’re just excited because you know what type of energy he brings to the locker room, you know his personality,” edge rusher Von Miller said. “We just got better by adding Micah Hyde, whether that’s on the football field or off the football field. … It’s all plus-plus in each and every category.”
Coach Sean McDermott stressed that Hyde’s return does not reflect any dissatisfaction with the team’s current safeties. However, Hyde provides additional support for the team in case of an injury.
“We’re in a good spot, very confident in the guys that have played there all season long and have both done a nice job,” McDermott said. “It’s about the team. It’s always about the team, and it’s never about one person. And in this case, Micah would not want that to be, in this case, about him.”
The Bills had kept Hyde’s locker empty and hadn’t given his No. 23 to anyone else, leaving open the possibility of his return.
Hyde signed with the team just after Buffalo’s 35-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, which clinched the division. The Bills now focus on catching Kansas City (11-1) to earn the top seed in the AFC playoffs after beating them last month.
McDermott and Hyde have a strong bond dating back to 2017, when McDermott, in his first year as head coach, made Hyde and safety Jordan Poyer the team’s key free-agent signings.
Hyde and Poyer signed on the same day and became Buffalo’s starting safety duo for seven seasons. Hyde, who played his first four seasons with Green Bay, earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2017 and 2021. Poyer, an All-Pro selection in 2021, is now with Miami after being released by Buffalo in March.
Hyde missed most of the 2022 season due to a neck injury, starting 14 games but missing three because of injury. Now fully recovered, he has also lost weight by working out regularly during his time off. He confirmed that this will be his last season in the NFL, no matter how it ends.
“After the last game, that (retirement) paper’s going to be right here and it’s getting signed,” Hyde said. “You can guarantee that, for sure.”
