It would have been a storybook ending to a wonderful individual career, but the Buffalo Bills came up three points short of a Super Bowl appearance.
After joining the team's practice squad for the stretch run, safety Micah Hyde officially retired from the NFL in the wake of Buffalo's AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Although he'll no longer be an active voice in the locker room, Hyde helped lay a foundation for what he believes will be a Super Bowl team at some point in the next few years.
"Wherever that Super Bowl is played, I'll tell you what, the Hydes are gonna be there. I don't care how much it costs, we're gonna be there celebrating it, too. Forever, I'm a fan with Bills Mafia. It's gonna happen," said Hyde during an appearance on the Jim Rome Show last week.
Hyde's strong belief in the Bills' championship chances is centered around quarterback Josh Allen. Drafted by Buffalo one year after Hyde signed as a free agent, Allen has emerged as one of the NFL's most-thrilling and productive performers.
"This league is a beast. I feel like with the pieces that Buffalo has, obviously, starting with 17, he's one of a kind. He just won MVP. I think it's five straight years with 40-plus touchdowns. That's insane," said Hyde.
A finalist for the fourth time in five years, Allen won the NFL MVP award for the first time this past February. Only sevens seasons into his career, the dual threat broke Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly's franchise record for total touchdowns.
"Just what he's been able to do, and not just on the field, but off the field. He's the perfect representation of Buffalo. Just who he is. He's a homegrown person out of California, loves his teammates. He's like a little kid, having fun playing football. It starts with him," said Hyde.
The 34-year-old Hyde, whose first season in Buffalo coincided with Sean McDermott's first year as head coach, glowingly acknowledged Bills' brass during his conversation with Rome.
"Then, having Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane. Beane's gonna put the pieces together, and Sean's gonna be a leader of men. Whenever you have pieces like that, that are steering the ship, you're always gonna have a chance. It's gonna come down to a play or two here or there," said Hyde, who earned All-Pro Second Team selections in 2017 and 2021.
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