APThe Bills are using the franchise tag to keep safety Jairus Byrd.
Buffalo’s decision to franchise Byrd had been expected and was confirmed today by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bills and Byrd have talked about a long-term contract and may still come to an agrement on one, but the franchise tag ensures that Byrd won’t be going anywhere. If he ends up signing the tender offer, he’ll play this season for a one-year base salary of $6.9 million.
Byrd, who has played for the Bills since they took him in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft, started all 16 games last season and had five interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
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Byrd is turning into one of the best safeties in the league.
Probably the only scenario where you are actually saving money by using the franchise tag.
Hopefully they lock him up long term, I’m sure another team would love to have him.
Great move, but I was hoping for a long term deal…
Damn..
Signed,
Eagles fans
Great news for us! Considering he’s our best defensive player I do wish we locked him up long term but at least we know he’ll be here next season! Go Bills
Nice!! I would hate to lose him. Get a deal done to keep him long term. Next up Andy Levitre.
Now sign Jairus Byrd to seven or eight years contract Bills…. #Byrd the word
YES!
As a Bills fan, i’ve been checking this site for an update on a deal or a tagging almost daily.
With the amount a Safety tag costs combined with his importance on the team – this was a no-brainer.
Not like they have any other players worth franchising
our cap situation probably wouldn’t have allowed it but the Skins badly need new talent at the safety position, it is an abomination right now
Bingo! Smartest move by the Bills in years! Now take your time on working out that long-term deal and lets get Levitre locked up in the mean time. 12 more days, and we can really guage the start of the new regime. In other news, this ensured that I will be renewing my Seasons… atleast one more year.
The bills actually did something intelligent….that’s a first
Most Underrated defensive player in the league, got snubbed on the original pro bowl voting last year for Laron “cheap shot artist” Landry, and Ed “two tickets to paradise” reed. Today is a great day to be a Bills fan
Actually I’m pretty sure Byrd was a 4th round pick, off the top of my head.
Poor guy will never have a chance to be on sn elite team…
OK my bad. 2nd round it is. All those Bills years all run together.
Damn Damn Damn!
Signed,
Lions fans
Great that Byrd will be a Bill next year, but from what I read he was more agreeable to signing long-term compared to Levitre.
Overall … unless Levitre has a deal in place this is not a good sign that he will be with the Bills going forward.
The only reason I even got on PFT was to check the recent Bills articles and make sure they hadn’t franchised Byrd yet. And there it is, top headline, staring me in the face. Anybody else ever feel like PFT is taunting them?
great move! Bills are only 15-16 moves away from a championship caliber team
As a Pats fan Byrd is a guy I was hoping our team could land in FA. He’s a playmaker at safety and a guy that alswys seems to come up big when we play the Bills.
Pats would be a lot better off if they had picked Byrd instead of Chung.
Wrong Oregon safety.
Byrd is the word….now we need 21 more players comparable to him and we might make the playoffs….maybe
I was hoping to Franchise Levitre and sign Byrd long term. Maybe they will still work out an agreement by next season. Nix, get to signing Levitre now! The BEST Safety in the league is locked up for one more year!
With Byrd off the table, the Bills still have approx. $16 mil in free agent dollars which reasonably include LeVitre, Rinehart, K. Moore and McKelvin. If all are signed, there leaves scant cash to fill a hole with an outside free agent. My guess, Levitre is allowed to leave, Rinehart, Moorte and McKelvin signed and someone like Ellerbe, Spenser, Cooke or Keller signed and a versatile OLB/DE , QB, WR, OLBs and/or CBs for their six picks.
Does mean Levitre is gone?
A shame he’s stuck on a losing franchise…
No offense to Bills, but good move on Byrd’s part as he may want out next year to be with a quicker contender. I know the feeling, Woodsen, Namdi, etc left the Raiders.
vickadelphiaphreedom says:Mar 1, 2013 1:31 PM
great move! Bills are only 15-16 moves away from a championship caliber team
Yeah, how’s Jason Peters working out for you?…that’s what I though…
“gronkspike802 says:
Mar 1, 2013 12:49 PM
Not like they have any other players worth franchising”
ever heard of andy levitre?
Man, still can’t belive how many people are ignorant enough to think the Bills should have tagged Levitre. I can give you 4 million reasons why they made the right move. Guards are also rarely over-paid when they hit the market, so realistically, the Bills could let Andy test the waters, let them know what he’s got on the table from other teams, and then come in above the asking price. Byrd on the other hand would have gotten outrageous offers from teams desperate for a defensive playmaker. As much as others won’t agree this was the smartest move to be made. Levitre will get a deal in the $8-9.5 mil a season range, which is a fair deal in my opinion.
If they didn’t tag him, Ireland would have thrown a ton of money at Byrd. Now that he’s off the market a deal will be made with Culver in Miami soon. Good move by the Bills. He is their best defensive player from the games I have seen.
gronkspike802 says:Mar 1, 2013 12:49 PM
Not like they have any other players worth franchising
Pats fans sure talk alot of smackabout other teams for not having won a Super Bowl in almost 9 years. Try figuring out how to beat the Giants for a change