Damar Hamlin on re-signing with Bills: This is where I want to be my whole career

Bills safety Damar Hamlin will remain in Buffalo after signing a new one-year contract, and he hopes he never plays anywhere else.

“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."

Hamlin became one of the most beloved players in Buffalo two years ago when he went into cardiac arrest and had to be revived on the field, then used his platform to promote providing life-saving AEDs to youth sports across the country. Hamlin reflected on his journey back from that to starting 14 games in 2024.

"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 said briefly testing free agency and learning that other teams were interested meant a lot to him, even as he decided that Buffalo is the best place for him.

"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."