Titans make Kevin Byard the highest-paid safety in NFL history with five-year deal

Landon Collins‘ reign as the highest-paid safety in NFL history is over after barely four months. The Tennessee Titans on Wednesday announced that they’ve signed Kevin Byard to a multi-year contract extension.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Byard is now the highest-paid safety in the history of football, after the All-Pro signed a five-year, $70.5 million contract that contains $31 million in guarantees.

The #Titans have agreed to terms with star S Kevin Byard on a 5-year, $70.5M extension, source said. He gets $31M in guarantees. He overtakes Landon Collins for the highest paid safety — and they share an agent in David Mulugheta.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2019

A third-round pick in 2016, Byard broke out in his second NFL season, making the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro first team while leading the league with eight interceptions. He followed up that campaign with another excellent season, notching four more picks to go along with 90 tackles and eight passes defensed in 2018.

With just a year remaining on his rookie contract, the Titans made sure to take care of him before he had a chance to hit free agency. The contract will keep Byard in Tennessee through at least 2022 if he plays out the entire deal, taking him through his age-30 season.

Byard will team once again with the re-signed Kenny Vaccaro on the back end of the defense, giving the Titans one of the better safety tandems in the league.

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