Titans, Kevin Byard agree to record-breaking extension

Kevin Byard is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Titans and Byard have agreed to a five-year, $70.5M deal that includes $31M in guaranteed money. The $14.1M AAV edges out the $14M/year pacts signed by Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu earlier this year, but no one is faulting Tennessee for throwing a lot of money at Byard. A product of Middle Tennessee State, Byard wasn’t invited to the combine in 2016, and at least one prominent NFL talent evaluator gave him a sixth- to seventh-round grade. Now, however, he is widely regarded as one of the best safeties in the game, and he has been paid accordingly. The Titans went against the grain by selecting Byard with the first pick in the third round of the 2016 draft, and he became a starter midway through his rookie campaign. He hasn’t looked back, as he earned a First-Team All-Pro bid in his second professional season — which featured a league-leading eight interceptions — and was excellent again in 2018. Though

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