Titans safety discusses salary dispute, decision to attend minicamp

Thursday was the first time Byard has spoken publicly this offseason. 

He skipped OTAs and other parts of Tennessee’s voluntary offseason program, but the two-time All-Pro safety said his absence had nothing to do with harboring any hard feelings about the pay cut request.

“I had been in communication with the coaching staff really early in the offseason before all this news (about a pay cut) came out that I was going to have my own plan and train on my own,” Byard said. “Obviously, every player on this team is at a different stage of their career. … I had stayed in communication with the coaching staff about any new stuff that we had, any nuances that had come out in the defense, but I had been enjoying training on my own and felt it was very important. There was never any doubt from the coaches at my end that I was going to be at minicamp.”

Byard, who has a $19.6M cap hit in 2023, is still regarded as one of the top safeties in the NFL. The Middle Tennessee State alum has been of the NFL’s best defensive backs over the last seven seasons, totaling 63 passes defensed, 30 pass breakups and 27 interceptions while allowing 10.3 yards per reception and just a 75.2 passer rating against in coverage, per Pro Football Focus.