Source: Titans, Byard rework deal after standoff

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard has agreed to a restructured contract, a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

According to NFL Network, which first reported on the restructured deal, Byard’s $14.1 million base salary will be reduced to $11 million but he will have a chance to earn the money back through incentives.

The Titans approached Byard about reducing his $19 million cap hit in March, but the safety refused at the time to rework the five-year, $70.5 million extension he signed in 2019. That deal made him the highest-paid safety in the league at the time; he is currently the NFL’s ninth-highest-paid safety.

Restructuring Byard’s deal frees up cap space to bring in free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The Titans came to terms with Hopkins on a deal Sunday, but no signing has been announced.

Byard has 27 interceptions since being drafted by the Titans in 2016. He was named a first-team All-Pro in 2017 and 2021 and finished the 2022 season with 108 tackles and four interceptions.

The 29-year-old Byard has never missed a game in seven seasons with the Titans. Byard and running back Derrick Henry are the longest-tenured players on the team.