Source: Kevin Byard Becomes Highest-Paid NFL Safety
On Wednesday, safety Kevin Byard and the Tennessee Titans agreed to a contract. The deal is for five years and $70.5 million and includes guarantees of $31 million said an NFL source.
The deal makes Byard the highest-paid safety ever to play in the NFL with an average salary of $14.1 million per season. Byard starts his fourth season in the NFL after being drafted in 2016 by Tennessee in the third round with the 64th overall pick.
Since being drafted, Byard has played in all of Tennessee’s 48 games, including starting all 32 games during the last two seasons playing 99.7% of all defensive snaps dating back to 2017.
Considered one of the NFL’s best safeties, Byard during the past two seasons has made 124 solo tackles and picked off 12 passes. In 2017, Byard set a personal high of eight interceptions and was named to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro first team. Over the last three seasons, Byard leads all NFL safeties in interceptions.
Byard participated in the Titans’ offseason minicamp even though he had a contract expiring and expressed the entire time a deal would be agreed to.
Prior to the deal, fellow safety Landon Collins and Kansas City’s Tyrann Mathieu were the league’s highest-paid safeties with contracts signed during March that average $14 million per year.
Collins, who is 25, signed a deal worth $84 million over six years with guaranteed money of $44.5 million with the Washington Redskins, while Mathieu, who is 27, signed a $42 million deal over three years with guaranteed money of $26.8 million with the Chiefs.
