The Buffalo Bills entered the offseason at a crossroads, faced with making key decisions and difficult choices about some of the team’s best veteran players. Men who had been successful leaders were staring at a future that didn’t necessarily include playing for the Bills. Such was the case with Micah Hyde, whose contract the team allowed to void this past February.
At the end of the day the NFL is a business. Unlike 2022, Hyde wasn’t given a contract extension. He was another year older and dealing with the compounding concerns of repeated injuries. When Hyde’s contract voided, not only was he off the team, but a dead-cap charge of $3,408,000 hit Buffalo’s books for the 2024 season.
The seemingly cold, calculated moves that front offices make are often dissected by a wider audience only in terms of dollars saved and on-field production. Whatever the reasons may be, doing so often fails to observe players outside of their professional roles during games.
That isn’t true of everyone outside the organization, certainly, nor is it the case with so many Buffalo Bills — both current and former. That’s what makes being part of Bills Mafia so special: those who are part of the team become far more than just a favorite number, jersey, name, or player to cheer on. They represent the passion, history, mentality, and spirit of Western New York and its people — even those who aren’t Bills fans.
And that’s a good place to start with many discussions about Micah Hyde. He’s all of those things and so much more. He’s meant more to the organization and region than any article filled with the best words could ever explain.
So it’s understandable that Hyde is at his own crossroads, working to figure out the next move that best-positions both his family and him for the future. While he may not currently be on the roster, that doesn’t mean Hyde’s decided against a return. On Thursday, Buffalo Bills reporter Sal Capaccio shared that if Hyde does return, he will do so only with the team he’s been a part of since 2017 — “It’s Bills or retire.”
“It’s Bills or retire” — Micah Hyde.
— Sal Capaccio (@SalSports) May 16, 2024
Says he won’t play elsewhere.
Despite many believing that Hyde and Jordan Poyer were a matched set, unlikely to play without the other — it appears that playing for another team was never an option for Micah. Where he might slot in upon a return is perhaps the biggest question. A New Year’s Eve baby, Hyde will turn 34 this December.
It’s no secret that the state of the Buffalo Bills’ roster has experienced massive change. General manager Brandon Beane and the front office made a concerted effort to infuse youth at both safety positions, re-signing 26-year-old Taylor Rapp to a three-year deal and adding 27-year-old free-agent safety Mike Edwards on a one-year deal. In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bills selected safety Cole Bishop in Round 2.
As such, it seems that a return by Hyde may come as a reserve, which isn’t to say that he’s incapable of starting. But his role at this stage could be as a mentor and someone who provides expert veteran depth.
Returning to the Bills as one of this era’s faces of the franchise would also ensure that Hyde’s charitable efforts continue reaching as many people as possible.
Since Hyde’s arrival in Orchard Park, NY back in 2017, he’s embraced Buffalo as his home, and given back to the Western New York community whenever and however possible. Micah Hyde’s ambitious philanthropic pursuits were borne out of a college class project, which led to the creation of his Imagine For Youth Foundation in 2015.
The Foundation, of which Micah’s wife Amanda is President, helps financially disadvantaged kids thrive academically and athletically by donating supplies, resources and equipment through events and fundraisers in Ohio, Michigan, New York and Iowa. It’s become a life’s passion for the couple, and their work continues to inspire all year long.
At the holidays, Hyde hosts an annual Kick For Kids event, which helps outfit disadvantaged children with new shoes. Additionally, each NFL season, Hyde dons custom cleats to support and benefit both the CARES Foundation — which helps make a difference for those living with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia — and also his Imagine For Youth Foundation.
Every summer, the Bills’ center fielder takes his act down the road to a different field through the Micah Hyde Charity Softball Game. The annual event brings together his teammates on the softball diamond of Sahlen Field to raise money for his Foundation. An event-filled afternoon, thousands of fans fill the stands to see who comes out on top during the home run derby, which precedes a friendly game of defense versus offense softball.
The 2024 edition takes place this coming Sunday, May 19. The home run derby begins at 1 p.m. EDT, with the softball game’s first pitch at 2 p.m. EDT. It’s not too late to purchase tickets to this year’s event, which you can do so by visiting https://www.hydecharitysoftball.com/ or clicking this link through the Buffalo Bisons of Minor League Baseball. An added bonus during the month of May, MAFIA Babes is donating all sales of their merchandise to the Imagine for Youth Foundation.
So Bills Mafia, are you ready for some softball?
You can catch up with more from Micah Hyde from his conversation with Eric Wood on his Centered On Buffalo podcast:
