Former Bills' All-Pro Safety And Jim Leonhard Teammate May Not Be Done Playing in NFL

While the Buffalo Bills thankfully won't need to find a roster replacement for safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who avoided major injury after a scare at Saturday's practice, they still may want to check in on an old friend.

As it turns out, last year may not have been an official farewell tour for former All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer.

Poyer, who turned 35 years old this past April, has 13 NFL seasons under his belt, and there is potentially room for one more based upon past comments that have recirculated on social media.

Promoting his In Good Company podcast, which is returning in time for football season, former Bills' center Mitch Morse shared an interview clip featuring Poyer from Super Bowl LX radio row. Next week, On SI will provide more information about In Good Company from our exclusive one-on-one conversation with Morse.

As for Morse's conversation with Poyer, the center-turned-podcaster closed with the million dollar question.

Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer reacts to a tackle during first half action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Dec. 7, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"You gonna sit with yourself a little bit and see if you got any more football left?" said Morse.

Poyer's response suggests that the fire is still burning inside of the former seventh-round draft pick.

"I definitely am. I do feel like I still have some in me. I found a little rhythm this last year that kind of got some more excitement to be like, 'okay, what if?'" said Poyer. "I'm taking one day at a time, enjoying my family right now, enjoying, being home, being here, hanging out."

It's worth noting that Poyer's wife, Rachel Bush, publicly liked the In Good Company clip on Instagram.

Poyer proves valuable for Bills in 2025

After a disappointing 2024 season with the Miami Dolphins, Poyer came back home to the Bills for one more go-round.

Initially returning in a practice squad capacity, Poyer eventually worked his way up to the 53-man roster as an injury replacement. What ensued was nothing short of inspiring as the grizzled veteran rediscovered some of the on-field magic that made him an All-Pro in 2021 and a Pro Bowler in 2022.

Furthermore, Poyer visibly played a role in helping 2024 second-round safety Cole Bishop break out down the stretch.

Unfortunately, it ended with Poyer watching from the sideline in the postseason. Potentially a result of his age, the safety suffered a hamstring injury in late December and reaggravated it in the wildcard round victory, creating a glaring hole in the secondary.

Running it back with Jim Leonhard?

As a second-year player for the Cleveland Browns, Poyer crossed paths with veteran safety Jim Leonhard in 2014.

Both men appeared in all 16 games for bye Browns that season, which turned out to be Leonhard's last as a NFL player.

"I played with Jim back in Cleveland, which is crazy," said Poyer. "He's a very, very smart, high IQ football. He's got a style that he expects, your players to play with."

One dozen years later, Leonhard is Buffalo's new defensive coordinator. Could his first season running the defense coincide with Poyer's final run?

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