The Titans approached Kevin Byard about a pay cut, but the Pro Bowl safety does not believe his play warrants a decrease in salary.
Byard has wanted to play for one organization and ultimately retire as a Titan, but the two sides are at a crossroads, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2023
The Tennessee Titans have reportedly asked All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to take a pay cut, but he has declined, leaving the two sides “at a crossroads.”
The news comes from many sources, with both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and The Score’s Jordan Schultz somewhat confirming earlier reports from ESPN’s Jared Stillman and former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi about the Titans wanting Byard to take a pay cut.
However, the reports of Stillman and Lombardi differed in that the former said Byard has requested his release, while the latter flat out said the Titans would cut Byard if he declined, so this is going in a few different directions.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport reports that Byard has not asked to be released, which would dispel part of Stillman’s report.
Nevertheless, the constant here is that the Titans want Byard to take a pay cut, but the 29-year-old is not on board with it, with his reasoning being he feels his play doesn’t warrant one, to which he’d be correct.
A little more on this, multiple sources confirmed that Kevin Byard has not asked the #Titans to release him. https://t.co/R1f85cme39
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) March 17, 2023
After all, he’s still playing at a high level, and Byard has been one of the few constants for a Tennessee team that hasn’t enjoyed much stability in recent years, whether it be because of roster changes, injuries, or both.
Cutting Byard would make absolutely no sense for Tennessee for multiple reasons, even with him set to carry a $19.6 million cap hit in 2023.
First, the veteran safety would certainly have a trade market, so there’s no way the Titans can let him walk for nothing if they do decide to part ways.
If they made the boneheaded decision to straight up release Byard, they’d be eating more dead money ($13.6 million) than they would be saving ($5.9 million).
Yes, they can designate him post-June 1, but that money won’t be usable until after that date, and well after free agency. That only doesn’t matter if the Titans are rebuilding, but there’s been no clear indication that’s the case.
If all that isn’t enough, cutting or trading one of the best players at his position in the NFL would leave a gaping hole on Tennessee’s defense, adding to an already long list of needs.
I don’t fault the Titans for exploring avenues to free up more money, but this isn’t one they should be messing with if the plan is to actually try and compete in 2023.
