Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports
Titans And Kevin Byard Agree To A Contract Restructure While DeAndre Hopkins Signs His Deal
NASHVILLE - Tennessee Titans star safety Kevin Byard was at the center of controversy over the last few months when rumors about his future with the franchise began to flow that he could be traded. That was followed by the revelation that the team asked him to take a pay cut.
Now, according to a report by Ina Rappaport, Byard has indeed taken a pay cut. However, in the form of a contract restructure that reduced his current salary from $14 million to $11 million, with incentives to earn back the $3 million lost in this move Byard has agreed to, to help the team clear cash for other players, most notably DeAndre Hopkins, or potential offensive tackle George Fant.
One thing is clear when it comes to Byard, he is an unselfish team player, which was the case before recent events, and remains true now. It would have been easy for him to have said 'no,' and moved forward, but that wasn't the case. He stepped up and helped his team and teammates.
According to Rappaport, this is a restructure for the 2023 season and does not include any additional years to his current deal.
While the possibility of the Titans extending or restructuring some contracts has been expected, Byard's name had seemed to have slipped toward the back of the list, with Harold Landry being the most often talked about character.
As for Hopkins, according to his social media post, he signed his new deal with the Titans on Wednesday, as he announced in a video.
Meanwhile, Fant is scheduled to work out for the Titans on Saturday, and depending on that workout, he too could be signed to the team immediately, as the team is set to report for the opening of training camp on Tuesday, July 25.
Titans Related Stories
- COULD THE DEVALUATION OF RUNNING BACKS IN THE NFL HELP LEAD TO HENRY'S RETURN TO THE TITANS?: Considering that the value of the running back position in the NFL has declined in recent years and that three top running backs failed to reach long-term contract extensions with their current teams, could this help Derrick Henry return to the Titans to finish his career? CLICK HERE
- THE HOUSTON OILERS, TENNESSEE TITAN DEBATE: The debate over the history of this franchise during its early days in Texas has once again risen among fans in both cities. CLICK HERE
- EXAMINING THE NFL'S PERFORMANCE-BASED PAY POOL AND THE RUNNING BACK ISSUE: There's a pool of money totaling $330 million that the NFL has to supplement players' salaries who outperform their current contracts. Could some of that be used to help runningbacks suffering from the devaluation of their position? CLICK HERE
