Damar Hamlin wants to be a Bill his entire life and at least for now, he’s staying in Buffalo. The safety signed a one-year contract, the team announced on Wednesday.
The former sixth-rounder was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent and just finished his rookie contract.
“It feels amazing to be back,” Hamlin said. “This is home, this is all I know as a pro. I’m connected to this place on a totally different level. So this is the place I want to be, where I want to spend my whole career if I can. It feels good to be back.”
In January 2023, Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field and was left in critical condition. He has since made an incredible recovery and started 14 games last season.
“Last year I felt like I was getting the training wheels off,” Hamlin said. “Coming back from literally dying on the field to playing a game in a significant role, a starting role, playing a full season again for the first time. I feel like I had a lot of success on the field.”
Hamlin did note that other teams were interested, as he browsed what free agency had to offer, but ultimately wanted to remain with the team that drafted him in 2021. He reflected on how it feels to go from being unsure about his health to remaining with the team of his choice.
“We had a lot of conversations and a lot of interest, which was pretty cool,” Hamlin said. “I’m coming from not knowing if I’d be able to play football again, so to know I had what it took, go after that and chase it, go out there and for teams to respect my body of work after going through so much, I was appreciative of everything.”
The 26-year-old finished with 89 tackles and had two interceptions, tied for most on the team. He also had 15 tackles, five passes defended, a sack and a forced fumble.
Outside of football, Hamlin has helped provide access to automated external defibrillators, CPR and AED training along with assisting schools in the development of cardiac emergency response plans.
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