There’s still “Love for Damar” in Buffalo. And a roster spot.
The Bills re-signed safety Damar Hamlin to a one-year contract Friday.
Hamlin, who turned 28 last week, will return after an injury-shortened 2025 season and will provide depth and special teams value in a revamped safety room.
Buffalo has overhauled the position this offseason, adding veteran free agent acquisitions C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone to go with starter Cole Bishop.
Hamlin’s one-year deal is expected to be near the veteran minimum, which is $1.215 million for a player with five credited seasons like Hamln.
Hamlin’s role has shifted over the past two seasons.
After earning a starting job in 2024, recording 89 tackles, two interceptions, five passes defended and a fumble recovery while starting 14 games.
He entered 2025 in a reduced role before suffering a torn pectoral in practice, which landed him on injured reserve in October. Hamlin appeared in five games and recorded one tackle before the injury.
Originally a sixth-round pick (No. 212 overall) out of Pittsburgh in 2021, Hamlin has appeared in 53 games over five seasons with Buffalo, totaling 185 tackles, nine passes defensed and his first two career interceptions.
Hamlin’s career remains defined by one of the most remarkable comebacks in NFL history.
He suffered cardiac arrest on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023, requiring CPR, defibrillation and emergency medical care on the field. He was transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was initially on a ventilator, and spent a week in the hospital before being discharged.
Three and a half months later, Hamlin was medically cleared to return to football and appeared in five games during the 2023 season, finishing as the runner-up for the league’s AP Comeback Player of the Year award.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills bring back safety on one-year contract in surprising move
Reporting by Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
