I think he’s an inspiration, I applaud him for what he’s done. Heck I donated to his charity. But he’s mostly great for non-football stuff.
There’s a non-zero chance that if he hadn’t got hurt last year, he wouldn’t be on the Bills anymore. But there was no way they were going to cut him after that.
Was he week-to-week contract or for the entire year? I’m way out of touch with football, but they used to sign guys for individual games when they were on the very edge of, well, not being in the NFL.
He signed a four year contract in 2021, but only a very small amount was guaranteed, so they could’ve easily cut him this last off-season.
Since he is still on the 52 man roster he still gets his full contract amount. If he were dropped to the practice squad he would be getting paid $12,000 a week (maybe $16,000 not sure if he’s considered a veteran). He is currently making $940,000 a season. The league minimum is $750,000. If he were placed on the practice squad another team could claim him.
That does still happen. It seems uncommon, at least I don’t hear about it very often, but I’ve seen it in recent years. Especially if you have a guy who has retired or is on the verge of retiring, and they just need that person for one game, either to fill a temporary spot or for a symbolic reason.
The very first example to pop in my head was this one.
In the news again. (Gift link).
(Normal link to same article.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/nyregion/damar-hamlin-buffalo-bills-cardiac-arrest.html
He Nearly Died on the Football Field. Is That Why Everybody Loves Him?
Damar Hamlin’s heart stopped beating after a tackle on “Monday Night Football” in 2023. He wants to be known for more than that.