Damar Hamlin, Bills Agree on 1-Year Contract to Return in 2025 NFL Free Agency

Damar Hamlin is returning for a fifth season with the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills agreed to a one-year extension with Hamlin ahead of unrestricted free agency, the team announced Wednesday.

After suffering on-field cardiac arrest at the end of the 2022 campaign and playing a limited role during the 2023 season, Hamlin returned to play 14 games for the Bills in 2024.

Hamlin earned a full-time starting role after former Bills safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde departed last offseason.

He went on to rank third to linebackers Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard with 89 total tackles, while becoming one of seven players to record multiple interceptions for the Bills.

Hamlin went on to start all three playoff games for the Bills, where he recorded 15 tackles and a sack. He also forced a fumble on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the divisional round.

Hamlin could be competing with Cole Bishop for the starting spot at safety next season. Head coach Sean McDermott said in February that Bishop, who was drafted in the 2024 second round out of Utah, would get the chance to earn the job this fall.

"We want him to win that job. But he has to do it," McDermott said about Bishop in February.

If Bishop does take on a full-time starting role for the Bills in his second NFL season, Hamlin could potentially serve as a depth option next fall. He could also see time on special teams, where he played a significant role during the 2023 season.

Hamlin, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft, has made all 48 regular-season and seven playoff appearances of his professional career for the Bills. He was named a finalist for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023 and 2024.