The physical stress that NFL football places on a player's body is immense. Perhaps no one is better attuned to the rigors of the game than Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered an on-field cardiac arrest in Week 17 of the 2022 season but has since resumed his playing career and is now the starting safety for the team serves.

“As hard as it is, as hard as the days are, as hard as it all is, as hard as it is to be in this league and have success day in and day out – the hardships,” the pain, the pain of my body every day — as hard as it is, I'm still living my dream,” he told ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg on Monday.

Hamlin, 26, returned to the field last season but served largely as a special teams contributor, appearing in five games. However, with the Bills undergoing a high roster turnover last offseason, he won the first safety gig in training camp and recorded 31 tackles (two for a loss), one interception and three passes defensed.

“I mean, what else can't this young man do?” Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters before Week 1 of the 2024 season. “It's one thing to recover from a torn ACL or a broken bone. It's another thing to recover from what he recovered from, right? Not to mention just deciding to play soccer and playing contact soccer, right? In full pads.” at the NFL level…I don't think I need to say more.