Micah Hyde might not be a lot of things, but one thing’s for sure—he’s a man of his word. When he hit free agency last season, the Bills’ safety made one thing clear. He’d rather retire than play for any team that wasn’t Josh Allen’s Bills. But, as fate would have it, he made a comeback late in the 2024 season. Their season ended with the AFC Championship loss, but a week after the defeat, Hyde’s words shocked his fans.

“I felt that coming into it and you know, it’s a blessing to be here. I’m here to help the football team and I want to win,” the 34-year-old had said back in 2017. That was the day the Buffalo Bills signed him to a five-year, $30 million contract as the first free agent to join the team under Sean McDermott, alongside fellow safety Jordan Poyer. Fast-forward to 2025, Hyde decided to hang his cleats on Feb 4, after eight unforgettable years with the Bills.

Looks like it’s an emotional rollercoaster for Josh Allen and the Bills this month. First, they took a tough loss to the Chiefs in the Conference round, and now? Their veteran safety is officially calling it quits from pro football. Hyde has been a part of the league for 12 seasons. His first four seasons came with the Green Bay Packers and the last eight came with the Buffalo Bills. He concludes his career with  644 total tackles (482 solo, 162 assists), four forced fumbles, 24 interceptions and 66 passes defended. So, of course, his team wasn’t going to let him go without a deserving farewell…

Allens’ team posted a video comprising Hyde’s statement on the day he signed with them, along with unforgettable moments from his journey. The Buffalo Bills hit up their official Instagram handle and left a three-word message for their now-retired safety. “Thank you, Micah!!”, the message read.

As for Hyde, he also didn’t forget to thank each and everyone who made his journey worth remembering…Sharing a series of photos featuring his time on the gridiron, and one with his family—his wife Amanda, five-year-old son Micah, Jr., and four-year-old daughter Maverick—Hyde wrote on February 3, “THANKS! From Fostoria to Iowa City to Green Bay to Buffalo, the goal was to leave an impact. That was one helluva dream. On to the next. MH”.

Having said that, back in 2022, the veteran’s season took a hit when he suffered a neck injury in Week 2, landing Hyde on IR and limiting him to just two games. Of course, he made a comeback the following season, but that injury seemed to throw his career off track. After the 2023 season, Micah Hyde hit free agency and stayed unsigned until the Bills brought him back on the practice squad in December 2024.

Talking about that decision the retired veteran had said, “I just wanted to come back and do anything I could do to help…If it’s helping young guys understand the NFL on and off the field, older guys helping them, with what they got to do on the field, whatever it may be, I’m here to help. I’m an open book, and so I’m excited for this role, and it’s a new role for me. And I’m ready to excel now.”

Unfortunately, though, the former Packers player never got the chance to suit up this season, and after the tough loss to the Chiefs, he finally decided it was time to sign those retirement papers. Looking at his 12 seasons in the NFL, you can say, it’s nothing short of impressive.

Top Comment by Jwil

I bet he would have stayed if they fired McDermott

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Now, it would be exciting to see Hyde’s future gigs after he wrapped up the Bills season with a controversial loss. But there’s also one other thing that’s turned heads recently…

Amid Micah Hyde’s retirement, NFL finally takes a call on the refs’ controversies

“Heading into the game, one of my messages to the team was, ‘You’re not going to get calls. We’re not going to get calls.’ I believe in preparing the team mentally in advance for that reality. And you accept it. But that’s not the reason we lost,” McDermott stated when asked about the role officiating played in Buffalo’s 32–29 loss in the conference title game. And now, finally, the NFL has made a move in this direction.

Looks like AI might be suiting up in stripes and calling plays by next season. Courtesy? The fourth-down failure from the Bills in the AFC championship game. In the fourth quarter, the Bills were pushing to extend their 22-21 lead. After picking up a fourth-and-1 with a QB sneak, they went for another fourth-down conversion at the Kansas City 41. However, at the scrimmage line, Chiefs’ Nick Bolton sacked Josh.

The kicker? NFL fans believed that Allen appeared to have brought the first down. But no—after the replays, the refs ruled him short, despite one 0fficial ruling in the Bills QB’s favor. Since then, there has been constant talk about the Chiefs being favored by the officiating crew. Now, the NFL is planning to introduce an electronic method for measuring first downs without using a microchip. But hold on—that doesn’t mean the referees’ job is over. See, there isn’t any technology yet that can determine forward progress. The furthest point a player has advanced before being sacked will still be determined by the refs.

“What this technology cannot do is take the place of the human element in determining where forward progress ends,” NFL executive Kimberly Fields told The Associated Press on Friday. “There will always be a human official spotting the ball. Once the ball is spotted, then the line-to-gain technology actually does the measurement itself. So I think it’s probably been a point of confusion around what the technology can and can’t do. There will always be a human element because of the forward progress conversation,” Fields said, confirming a human-tech partnership for officiating the games.

Well, with all the fancy microchips and technology in play, those critical will always require referees’ eyes. Now,what retired Bills’ safety, Micah Hyde, would expect his team not to face are the supposed officiating glitches in the next season.