The Buffalo Bills continue to shape their roster ahead of the 2026 season, coming off a year that ended with a loss to the Denver Broncos in their Divisional Round matchup after putting together a 12-5 regular season.
The Bills announced Friday that the franchise has re-signed one of their veteran safeties to a one-year contract, keeping the defender in Buffalo for another season.
“3️⃣ is staying in Buffalo!” the Bills posted on X. “We have signed S Damar Hamlin to a one-year deal.”
Buffalo’s decision comes after Hamlin’s 2025 campaign was cut short early in the year due to injury, with the safety only appearing in five games last year.
Hamlin suffered a pectoral injury in practice that required surgery and ended his season in October, with the 28-year-old defender appearing in fewer than six games for the second season in the past three years.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar HamlinTina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Hamlin returns to a reshaped safety group that includes offseason additions C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone.
The former Pittsburgh Panthers standout entered the league as a sixth-round pick in 2021 and gradually worked his way into a larger role in Buffalo, where he’s spent his career to date.
Hamlin became a starter during the 2022 season, starting 13 of 15 games at the free safety position, before going 14-for-14 in starts for the 2024 campaign when he recorded the first two interceptions of his career.
The safety’s career, however, has been marred by health issues, including a medical emergency during the aforementioned 2022 season.
Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023, when his heart stopped following a collision.
Medical personnel restored his heartbeat on the field, and Hamlin remained hospitalized for more than nine days before eventually returning to football.
Hamlin played five games during the 2023 season after being medically cleared and has totaled 27 starts across 53 games in his career.
The one-year agreement marks the second consecutive offseason in which Hamlin has signed a short-term deal with the Bills.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.