Risk vs Reward: Kevin Byard

If the Titans decided to move on from Kevin Byard...is it really all that bad?

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Hey there! Before we get to Tre’Jean Watkins’s article, I wanted to say a few words about Tre. I have always thought Tre had untapped potential as a writer. I know him personally behind the scenes, and he was one of the few writers, if interested, that I would want to bring on board. However, life happens for Tre and he was balancing a new job, course work with school, and trying to write, he experienced the normal event we all get from time to time: the burnout.

Luckily, he’s found the writing bug again, and I immediately said, “Let’s do this.” I only had two rules:

1.     Write in your voice, not what you think people want, but how you truly are/feel.

2.     Write topics that interest you. No more of these flimsy “Titans signed or Former Titans tweeted…” articles. Things that genuine interest you.

These rules are what I have always lived by when producing any kind of content. If I am not into the article, the reader will pick up on that, so, it’s important to me that people who want to come write for this site feel/do the same.

He will be giving his thoughts every Wednesday for the site, and this article is free, but you’ll have to become a paid subscriber to get the rest!

I have pushed Tre a lot over the last year. I’m sure 90% of the time Tre is like will you please shut the hell up. However, I think he has greatness in him, and hopefully he finds that here and you all get to be on the ground floor of reading the next big thing in Titans Journalism.

Kevin Byard has been a mainstay with the Tennessee Titans throughout the entirety of his decorated NFL career.

He worked his way into a starting spot in just his second career season, he’s turned himself into one of the best players at his position, he’s been the face of a defense that has flown under the radar for the past half decade, and he’s become a face of hope and pride among a Titans fan base that’s still starving for the ultimate prize that football can offer.

But these days, those impressive feats and accolades aren’t the tell-all regarding Byard and his standing with the Titans. In fact, they don’t come close to the current story between Byard and the only franchise he’s ever played for.

No, Byard’s connection with the Titans these days is more about money and the potential rewards or consequences the Titans might face if they find a way to slash the financial “burden” Byard is pushing on Tennessee.

You see, Byard has been in several rumors over the last month and a half, mostly — if not all — due to his potential exit from Tennessee due to his expensive cap hit, which ranks second on the team behind Ryan Tannehill.

The Titans have been egging on Byard, asking him to take a pay cut to help with the team’s current cap situation. In response, Byard has put his foot in the ground and has said what any player would say if they were in this situation.

Hell to the no.

In Byard’s defense, he’s right to decline a pay cut. His play throughout the duration of his contract has warranted his salary, so there’s no reason for Byard to do the Titans a solid and watch his wages decrease just to help a team rebound from poorly managed cap economics from a previous regime.

But on the Titans’ side of things, exploring any moves that can ease the present or future cap situation is perfectly within their rights as well.

So, in theory, we’re sort of at a bit of a standstill here with no end in sight.

However, instead of speculating what might end up happening — because let’s be honest, no one wants to sit around and play the what-if game for weeks upon end — we can at least dive into the risk and the reward of moving on from Byard at this point in time.

Because let’s face it, there’s nothing we all love more than a colorful debate right?

The Risk

The risk in this situation is pretty easy to decipher.

If you elect to move on from Byard, not only are you taking away a significant piece of a defense that’s expected to lead this team again in 2023, but you’re effectively taking away a piece of a city and a fanbase that has rallied behind this team so many times in recent history.

How so? It goes a little like this.

If you walk along a street in Nashville during the up and down times of a Tennessee autumn season, you’ll find Titans fans roaming the streets on game days, waiting to enter Nissan Stadium in hopes of witnessing their favorite team in two tone blue bring home another win.

Stop one of them and ask who their favorite player is. You’ll hear names like Derrick Henry and Jeffery Simmons, but you’ll also hear Byard’s name brought up way more times than you’d probably expect. He’s simply that big in this city, in this community, and his relationship with this environment has thrived to the point where he’s a bonafide idol.

That’s hard to do in a city that’s enveloped its image around country music, the modern party scene, and has become a hot spot destination for tourists around the world.

Byard has done so though, which deserves respect.

But what if Byard’s impact on the community, city, and the fanbase isn’t enough for you? What if that doesn’t give you the fuel you need? Well, you can quickly pivot and look at the pure football aspect of this potential move, which will give you a better idea as to why the risk of this move feels so high.

Over the last 5 seasons, only four players have more interceptions than Byard (19). He’s consistently graded as one of PFF’s best players, with only 3 seasons in his career without a season grade above 77 (2016, 2019, 2020). Not only that, but he’s also constantly in conversations as the best safety in the league alongside household names like Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.

To put it simply, Byard is an elite football player that is respected league wide, has the production to match his reputation, and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down any time soon.

To toss this caliber of a player away like a broccoli casserole made on Thanksgiving, somehow feels like a show of disrespect towards the great men that created this violently beautiful game for us peasants to enjoy.

But there’s always two sides of the same coin, and in this case, the other side might have its temptations.

Some you didn’t think existed.

The Reward

The reward for moving on from Byard is more evident than you might realize.

You remember that cap hit we talked about earlier? How it’s second highest among Titans players for this upcoming season? Yeah, well I wasn’t really telling the full story.

According to Spotrac, Byard’s cap hit for the 2023 season will stand at around $19.6M. In comparison to Ryan Tannehill’s cap hit of $36.6M, that probably looks pretty weak in comparison. But despite that, we’re still talking millions of dollars the Titans would like to somehow lessen or completely move off their books due to their average looking cap health.

Plus, Byard’s cap hit is the most expensive out of all safeties across the league. The next closest cap hit belongs to Justin Simmons, whose cap hit is cheaper by just over $1.4M (Spotrac).

You see where I’m going with this?

I’m not trying to watch Byard’s pockets like some grouch here, but the Titans do have a point here.

Combine that with the fact that safety is one of the easier positions to replace in this league, and you get a sticky situation that makes a lot of sense from the Titans’ point of view. Does this mean the Titans should go through with it, even with the financial advantages being so blatant?

That’s for you to decide, but the advantages are there. And if you look at it in a certain way, they look more valuable than the risk factors, with money being the end all for the function of NFL rosters.

Final Verdict

It’s truly hard to discern the right answer in this predicament.

Trading away Byard would give the Titans cap flexibility, while giving them additional draft compensation for their ongoing roster rebuild. Said compensation wouldn’t be groundbreaking, but Byard’s a premium player, even at a position that has been devalued over the last few years or so.

So, you’d probably still get something somewhat worth it in the end.

Although you’re never going to get the full value for a player at a devalued position anyways, so that conversation feels more like a waste of time than one that’s worth it.

At the end of the day, this decision isn’t an easy one whatsoever. The risk factor certainly has its advantages, some that can’t be ignored unless you find a way to swiftly fully address them (isn’t likely).

But the reward — at least in this case — has the final say here.

For a team that needs the financial shackles ripped off, moving this contract off the books makes a lot more sense than keeping Byard, risking his value going down while trying to stay competitive, and failing to get anything in return while it still makes sense to move on from him.

It’s a tough call, but this feels like the correct route to go down.

It isn’t easy to come to a decision as crucial as moving on from a mainstay, a franchise icon, and a community general that easily connects to the fans and ambassadors alike. But with a new regime, a new vision, and a new direction, comes tough decisions that need to be made without any heartwarming feelings involved.

That’s the way business goes and that’s the way it’ll always go, whether you like it or not.

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