There’s been no shortage of awkwardness in the recent business relationship between All-Pro safety Kevin Byard and the Titans. Byard refused to take a pay cut that the team floated his way early in the offseason. While, in most situations, this would cause the relationship to deteriorate into an eventual split, things don’t seem to be headed in that direction, according to Josh Alper of NBC Sports.

Questions initially arose as Byard spent the offseason away from the Titans, with many thinking his absence was a result of bad blood following the failed request. Byard refuted that claim in an address to the media, saying that he had been in communication with his coaches and was working out according to a preexisting plan. His explanation and following comments seemed to indicate that he would not be pursuing a trade as a result of the pay-cut request.

In fact, Byard is more likely to continue working toward a deal that will keep him in Tennessee for the remainder of his career. Byard has certainly taken the high road in an awkward situation, showing the maturity to know that “you can’t be emotional in business,” a point he expanded on in an appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast recorded two weeks ago. He, instead, found a way to “compartmentalize and keep (his) emotions out of it,” concluding that he thinks the two sides are “in a good place right now.”

When he initially received the request to take a pay cut, Byard had been expecting a contract extension discussion that would alleviate his cap hits in the near future while allowing him to remain in Nashville long-term. He stood his ground on his worth, stayed quiet about the negotiations, and has allowed the business side of things to run their course. He’s claimed that there are no “ill feelings” lingering from the situation and seems to be optimistic about finding a way forward.

Two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard made headlines back in March when he denied a request from the Titans to take a pay cut. Despite the obvious bumps this has the potential to cause in a working relationship, things appear to be copacetic between the two parties, according to Titan Insider.

Questions arose as Byard spent the offseason away from the Titans, with many thinking his absence was a result of bad blood following the failed request. Byard refuted that claim as he addressed the media for the first time since the request in question.

“I want to address OTAs and things like that,” Byard opened with. “I had been in communications with the coaching staff really early in the offseason, before, obviously, all this news and all this stuff came out. I was going to have my own plan and be able to train on my own…I’m very comfortable with the defense, and I’ve stayed in communication with the coaches this entire offseason about any new stuff that we had, any nuances that were coming out within the defense.”

He went on to say that there was never any misunderstanding between himself and the coaches on when he would be there, making good on his plans to show up for the team’s minicamp this past week after missing OTAs. As he declined to confirm or deny, it’s unclear whether he will be present for Tennessee’s final round of voluntary OTAs in the coming week.

About the pay-cut request, he explained that he allowed those conversations to take place between his agent and the organization, namely general manager Ran Carthon. He refused to communicate his emotional reaction but told the media that it was very important to him to eventually be back with the team as the leader he is.

“I had a conversation with you guys on clean-out day saying how much I love this organization and how this is my legacy,” Byard recalled. “No matter what happens, I’m just grateful for every opportunity I get.”

Kevin Byard has been one of the NFL’s better safeties over the past several seasons, but the Titans have approached the All-Pro about taking a pay cut. This has not gone over well with Byard, as could be expected.

A seven-year starter in Tennessee, Byard has declined the organization’s request, Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com tweets. He does not believe his play warrants a pay reduction, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adds (via Twitter). The sides have reached a crossroads on this matter, even though Byard has said he wants to finish his career in Tennessee.

Although the Titans have cut several veterans to start Ran Carthon‘s GM tenure, Byard has never missed a game as a pro and was a first-team All-Pro as recently as 2021. Pro Football Focus graded Byard as a top-10 safety in 2022. Byard is going into his age-30 season and tied to a $13.6MM base salary. Byard’s resume includes five seasons with at least four interceptions — including an eight-INT 2017, which preceded an unusual exchange in which then-NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders appeared unaware of the emerging safety’s NFL employment — and he has notched nine thefts over the past two years.

The Titans gave Byard a five-year extension back in 2019, ahead of his fourth season. The safety market has changed a bit since the former third-round pick agreed to that $14.1MM-per-year deal. At the time (July 2019), the contract made Byard the league’s highest-paid safety. But eight safeties now sit in front of the Middle Tennessee State alum. Two years remain on Byard’s extension.

Jon Robinson selected Byard during his first draft as GM, choosing the talented safety — who was not invited to the 2016 Combine — a round after taking Derrick Henry. That turned out to be a rather good day for the since-fired front office boss. Byard has joined Henry in becoming a two-time All-Pro. Given Byard’s performance level and durability, it would not have been surprising to see him angle for a raise — now that Derwin James has pushed safety money past $19MM per year. Instead, the prospect of Byard playing football with a non-Tennessee-based team for the first time since high school appears on the table.

Free agency this year has not produced a windfall for non-Jessie Bates safeties. Vonn Bell‘s $7.5MM-per-year pact represents the second-most money given to a back-line defender this year. This gap likely helped convince Harrison Smith to accept the Vikings’ pay-cut request. Minnesota chopped Smith’s salary from $14.7MM to $8MM this year. More money would await Byard in free agency, but it would also be interesting to see what teams would be willing to give up in trades. The deal includes a $13.6MM 2024 base salary as well.

Because the Titans have twice restructured his contract, Byard is on Tennessee’s cap sheet at $19.6MM this year. The team has already tacked on two void years to help for cap purposes in the past. This will be an early test for Carthon, whom the Titans hired to replace Robinson in January.

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.