The Tennessee Titans have seen no shortage of controversy this offseason — especially in the last few days — but it was their pay cut request for safety Kevin Byard that has been one of the most talked about situations.
Earlier this offseason, and with the Titans being strapped for cash, the team asked Byard if he would take a pay cut in order to free up more cap space.
Byard rightly refused, and that reportedly left the two sides “at a crossroads,” which led to plenty of speculation that the former Pro Bowler and All-Pro’s days in Nashville might be numbered.
Feeding fuel to the fire that there might be a major impasse between the two, Byard uncharacteristically did not attend the voluntary portion of the offseason program before eventually arriving for mandatory camp.
We haven’t heard much regarding the relationship between Byard and the Titans in awhile, but the 29-year-old recently touched on the situation further while appearing on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast with former Titans Taylor Lewan and Will Compton.
And we got some good news from that interview, as Byard revealed he and the team are “in a good place” in the months after he denied their request. However, he did admit he wasn’t thrilled with it in the first place.
“When my agent reached out to the team and had a conversation, it was very easy to be emotional because I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a way about it,” Byard said, per Nick Suss of The Tennessean. “I was like ‘They asked for what?’ But at the same time you can’t be emotional in business. If you make an emotional decision within business, more than likely it’s going to be bad business. … It happened. I think we’re in a good place right now.”
Byard then discussed his absence from the voluntary portion of the offseason program, noting the Titans have trust in him to get himself ready, even if he isn’t with the team.
“It’s really about trust,” Byard said. “I think Vrabel and the coaching staff understands that this guy will take care of his body. I haven’t missed a game my entire career. They trust and know that this guy isn’t going to come in out of shape. I’m not that type of person. This is the business side of it: My job is to be the best safety for the Tennessee Titans.”
Byard has been one of the few constants for the Titans during his time in Nashville and remains one of the very best at his position in the NFL. If there’s one player who deserves every single penny, it’s the Mayor of Murfreesboro.
It’s great to see he and the Titans appear to have patched things up, because Tennessee will need every bit of its star safety once the 2023 campaign rolls around.
