NFL All-Pro Duo Teams Up to Bury New York State's Leftist Policies After One Signs a New Contract
Two star Buffalo Bills safeties roasted New York’s tax rate on Wednesday after news broke that one of them had re-signed with the team after he previously said he was exploring other options in free agency.
In three tweets, the Bill’s secondary duo summed up how much a state’s income tax rate goes into decision-making when a star finds himself on the open market.
As the new league year kicked off on Wednesday morning, NFL insider Ian Rapoport broke the news that Bills All-Pro strong safety Jordan Poyer was expected to remain in Buffalo.
#Bills safety Jordan Poyer is expected to sign… back in Buffalo, sources say. He checked out the market, but returned to the #BillsMafia.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2023
Not long after the news broke, Poyer tagged one of his teammates, All-Pro free safety Micah Hyde, in a tweet. Poyer confirmed the news that he and Hyde would remain a nightmare for quarterbacks and receivers and wrote to him, “[H]ey bud.”
.@Micah_hyde hey bud 😎👋🏾
— Jordan poyer (@J_poyer21) March 15, 2023
Hyde responded with a laughing emoji, a handshake emoji, and a tag that buried New York over its income tax rate. It read, “#NYtaxesAreStillTrash.”
😂🤝🏽 #NYtaxesAreStillTrash https://t.co/hEPy8amhn1
— Micah Hyde (@micah_hyde) March 15, 2023
Poyer then wrote back, “[No] lies detected” and shared his adulation for his friend in the backfield. He wrote, “I’m cryin bro!”
Ayoo!!! no lies detected 😭I’m cryin bro ! Love you Brodie 🤞🏾 🤣
— Jordan poyer (@J_poyer21) March 15, 2023
The exchange is noteworthy in that it demonstrates that Poyer had apparently taken heading elsewhere very seriously. On his podcast last month, Poyer ripped the state of New York for taking “half” of his paycheck.
“I would love to go to a state that doesn’t take half my money,” Poyer said, according to NBC Sports. “It’s crazy to me how taxes work. Some people will say, ‘You’re already making X amount of money.’”
The NFL star added, “Taxes play a big part in all of our lives.”
The 31-year-old had just finished a two-year extension to his existing contract that paid him $19.5 million. Due to New York’s tax laws, Fox Business pointed out, Poyer owed the state $450,500 – plus an additional 10.3 percent of any amount over $5,000,000.
In contrast, warm-weather states such as Florida, Nevada and Texas have no income tax and are home to a combined six NFL teams.
Poyer signaled during the podcast he was eyeing somewhere warm as a potential landing spot.
“It would be nice to see the sun, maybe, every week or so, every other week at least,” he said.
Tennessee and Washington are the only other states that have no income tax, and they also have teams that compete in the league.
There is less sun in Nashville and Seattle when compared to places like Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Miami and Tampa.
Ultimately Poyer chose to stay with Buffalo. It appears his love for the team was a deciding factor. That, and Buffalo arguably offers him a better chance at a Super Bowl ring than the other cities mentioned — at least currently.
But Poyer’s saga shows that some NFL players are taking financial planning seriously, and taking into account how much they are paying in taxes is part of that.
If the trend continues, teams in places such as New York and California could find themselves struggling to attract and keep top talent.
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