Months after rejecting a pay cut, Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard eventually took a shave.
The Titans and Byard agreed to terms on a restructured contract for the 2023 season, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Friday, per a source informed of the situation.
The reworked pact lowers the Pro Bowl safety's base salary to $11 million, with incentives to get back to the $14 million he was originally owed, Rapoport reported.
The Titans approached Byard back in March about a possible pay cut. The two-time first-team All-Pro rejected the idea but did not request a trade out of Tennessee.
The pay-cut question lingered around the star safety this offseason. Still, Byard reported to minicamp in June, citing the importance of being a leader despite the protracted questions about his future.Â
Now there is some finality regarding those questions.
The Titans gained some cap space to help operate this season, including the recent signing of DeAndre Hopkins, which the club has yet to make official.
Byard inked a five-year, $70.5 million contract in 2019. His $14.1 million-per-year average put him ninth among all safeties before the adjustment for 2023. There are zero guaranteed dollars left on the final two years of his contract.
Turning 30 next month, Byard is the glue of the Titans' defense, generating four interceptions in 2022, his fifth time in six seasons netting four-plus INTs.
