Damar Hamlin Re-Signs With Bills on 1-Year Contract in 2026 NFL Free Agency

The Buffalo Bills announced Friday that they re-signed safety Damar Hamlin to a one-year contract in free agency.

Originally a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft out of Pittsburgh, the 28-year-old Hamlin has spent his entire five-year NFL career in Buffalo thus far.

Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals late in the 2022 season. The game was suspended and eventually canceled as Hamlin was revived on the field and rushed to the hospital.

Remarkably, Hamlin returned the following season, appearing in five regular-season games and two playoff games for the Bills in 2023.

As a result, Hamlin finished second in the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year voting in 2023, and he won the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year Award that same year.

Hamlin went on to start all 14 games he appeared in during the 2024 campaign, recording 89 tackles and a career-high two interceptions and five passes defended.

He was limited to just five games last season in a backup and special teams role due to a pectoral injury.

With Cole Bishop locked into a starting role, veterans Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone, and second-year man Jordan Hancock figure to compete for the other starting safety spot in Buffalo in 2026.

That means Hamlin will likely be a backup and special teamer if he manages to make the Bills' final roster.

A team could do much worse in terms of safety depth, as Hamlin has 53 games of regular-season experience, including 27 starts, and seven games of playoff experience to his credit.

Hamlin has racked up 185 tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defended, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and eight tackles for loss during his career.

He also made some big plays in postseason contests with 18 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and two tackles for loss.

With a safety depth chart highlighted by Bishop, Gardner-Johnson, Stone, Hancock and Hamlin, the position does not figure to be a point of emphasis for the Bills during the 2026 NFL draft in April.