The Titans created salary cap space by restructuring safety Kevin Byard’s contract (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). Thanks to Byard’s cooperation, the club now has an extra $6.12MM to spend this season. Effectively, everything stays the same for Byard, who will still make $9.1MM in 2020.
[RELATED: Titans Place Adoree Jackson On IR]
Byard inked a five-year, $70.5MM extension with the Titans in 2019 to become the highest-paid safety in NFL history. Of course, as these things often go, Byard has since been leapfrogged by Budda Baker and Eddie Jackson. Still, his $14.1MM average annual value tops Tyrann Mathieu ($14MM/year), Landon Collins (ditto), and every other safety in the league.
The Titans may apply that extra cash towards the cornerback position, if Adoree Jackson‘s knee injury lingers for a while. This week, they placed the former first-round pick on injured reserve, shelving him for a minimum of three weeks. The Titans had less than $3MM in cap space entering Tuesday, leaving them roughly $9MM under the limit after revising Byard’s deal.
Byard, 27, put himself on the map with a league-leading eight interceptions in 2017. He hasn’t reprised his Pro Bowl or First-Team All-Pro status since, but he remains a pillar of the Titans’ secondary.
No finer S in the NFL regardless of the recent All-Pro snubs.