07 March 2024 , 06:00
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The Buffalo Bills have let go of running back Nyheim Hines. They announced earlier this week that they would be releasing the 27-year-old as part of a series of moves to save money, as they were $40 million over the cap.
By letting Hines go, the Bills will save about $4.6 million. In total, the decision to release Hines, Jordan Poyer, Mitch Morse, Siran Neal and Deonte Harty will free up $25.96 million for the Bills.
This is just the latest setback in Hines' career. He was picked by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft and spent four seasons there before being traded to Buffalo in 2022. But things haven't gone well for him since then.
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Last summer, Hines was involved in a jet ski accident in North Carolina where he collided with another jet skier. This caused him to tear multiple ligaments in his knee and miss the whole year.
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After the accident, Hines hired lawyer Brad Sohn to look into the case. Sohn claimed that the accident cost Hines a future multi-million contract because of the injury.
"According to North Carolina authorities, Nyheim Hines was struck by a recklessly operating jet-skier travelling at potentially 40mph and in violation of North Carolina's minimum watercraft education training requirements," Sohn's statement said at the time. "The reckless operator was cited by authorities as causing the accident. Nyheim, who has his boating license and was likely travelling at about 10mph was not cited and has engaged my office to hold the necessary parties accountable for ending his season and costing him potentially many millions of dollars."
Nyheim Hines spent the entirety of the 2023 NFL season on the shelf after tearing his ACL in a freak jet ski accident (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)After keeping quiet for a while, Hines shared how tough his recovery was after the crash. "Honestly, there were times I just wanted to scream and cry," Hines admitted, according to The Athletic.
"It was just rehab man, but it was hard as hell."
Hines said he got hit on his right side when he was coming back from putting petrol in the jet ski. Later, when he tried to run, his left knee hurt. He found out he had torn his ACL and LCL in that knee.
While getting better, the running back started to really value the small things about being a pro football player. "I never took football for granted, truly, but after this, I know what this game means to me. I'd do anything to be back right now," he shared.
Hines, who is now a free agent, is said to be ready for training camp and has started training again, but hasn't been given the green light to practice. The Bills have also hinted at a possible reunion with Hines, but it's still unclear if they can agree on a deal that suits both sides.
For the time being, Hines will have to keep rehabbing and preparing for the 2024 season by himself, as the Bills have chosen to let him go to sort out their salary cap problems.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story