Bears sign S Kevin Byard to 2yr $15m deal

[UOK]

[crueltyabc]

Hes awesome but hes a bit old to be a fit for the Bears. I would love it for us but it would be weird for him to join a young ascending team for his last contract

[G08]

Will be 31 before the season starts, but he looks like he's been quite durable in his career (and likes to pick the ball off!)

[RichH55]

Honey Badger just got 2 Years 13 Million - So guessing we are gonna get a Safety in the range

I like the Denver kid more

[TheWorldBreaker]

Interesting, based on his past actions I would’ve thought Poles would go younger. Maybe he wants some veteran leadership with Eddie being gone though.

[Rusty Trombagent]

Honey Badger just got 2 Years 13 Million - So guessing we are gonna get a Safety in the range

I like the Denver kid more

Yeah, I imagine Simmons wont be as cheap though. If we can get Byard for 2/13 that'd be good,( jimmy ward and justin poyer both got the same amount at the same age last year), free us up this year, allow us to draft a safety next year when we've got more draft capital.

He was so-so with the Eagles last year, but they had some very weird fundamental issues on that team last year. Makes a lot of sense to me.

[Moriarty]

He seems more high end (quality and price tag) than what I was expecting there.

[BreadNCircuses]

Honey Badger just got 2 Years 13 Million - So guessing we are gonna get a Safety in the range

I like the Denver kid more

Yeah, I imagine Simmons wont be as cheap though. If we can get Byard for 2/13 that'd be good,( jimmy ward and justin poyer both got the same amount at the same age last year), free us up this year, allow us to draft a safety next year when we've got more draft capital.

He was so-so with the Eagles last year, but they had some very weird fundamental issues on that team last year. Makes a lot of sense to me.

Until we see an offer, I see it as "kicking the tires" in the Tashaun Gipson late-career veteran range, relative to other options on the market and in the draft. Even if my suspicion is correct and they expect Elijah Hicks to step into the starting FS role, they're not going to do it without at least some older veteran competition, and having an experienced 3rd safety on the roster seems like a good idea regardless.

[wulfy]

Byard was really solid with the Titans - but if you ask the Eagles fans about him, they say he's washed.

Who knows?

[Magilla_Gorilla]

[Magilla_Gorilla]

[Grizzled]

He's not a long term solution, being already 30. But a good signing, a solid guy. Now, do they go for a 2-fer, sign another this offseason? Will Poles get more draft picks and take a guy?

[karhu]

Huge fan of his in his draft year. But now? Holy moly, it looks like Poles thinks he knows something that Byard's last two employers missed.

[dplank]

This is about the price point I was expecting. This is a good signing, I really like Poles knocking out 2 obvious needs ahead of FA like this, very smart!

Just need a splash DL and we are cooking!

Interested in seeing the contract details.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

Cheaper than EJax and probably a better player these days

[LacertineForest]

Can't say I know much about him, but filling as many holes ahead of the draft makes sense to me so Poles can go BPA in the draft.

[dplank]

15M feels a little like an overpay, I’m curious to see how this is structured. I bet it’s a lesser hit / commitment than appears.

[The Marshall Plan]

Can't say I know much about him, but filling as many holes ahead of the draft makes sense to me so Poles can go BPA in the draft.

All we needed here was a S that could actually tackle people and make less than like $13M per year.

Any performance above that is gravy. I'm happy with this move.

Now get a DE2 or DT and that defense could be top 5.

[thunderspirit]

15M feels a little like an overpay, I’m curious to see how this is structured. I bet it’s a lesser hit / commitment than appears.

I suspect this will look more like $7M guaranteed with like another $3M in guarantees like three days into the 2025 league year.

Guess we'll find out soon enough.

[Bearfacts]

Interesting, based on his past actions I would’ve thought Poles would go younger. Maybe he wants some veteran leadership with Eddie being gone though.

I would view it exactly that way. EJax wasn't much younger and when the opportunity exists to pick up a back end FS whose a two time All Pro and a two time Pro Bowler for around half of what his last contract paid him I see it as a smart move. When I read that Poles had met with him last night I was ball parking the idea of a deal like this in the $13-$15 mil range and wondering if Byard would bite on it. Got my answer this AM I guess. Poles is doing a good job of weaving an experienced FS into his young secondary.

[Bearfacts]

This is about the price point I was expecting. This is a good signing, I really like Poles knocking out 2 obvious needs ahead of FA like this, very smart!

Just need a splash DL and we are cooking!

Interested in seeing the contract details.

After seeking what the Raven's DT just got which is very similar to what we gave JJ as far as gtd $$$ and APY I have to believe Poles will at least be looking at Wilkins along with the DE's out there. I have a gut feel they'd love to have Hunter on board if they can bring him in for a similar deal to JJ's as well. Looks to me like Poles is ready to crank things up several notches to compete this year.

[Bearfacts]

Huge fan of his in his draft year. But now? Holy moly, it looks like Poles thinks he knows something that Byard's last two employers missed.

Tennessee got a nice package of a player and 5th and 6th round picks when they traded him. I think Philly wanted what we just bought. An experience FS to man the back end. But when their season fell apart Philly wasn't gonna keep him with his $13.7 cap hit anymore than we were keeping EJax with his $18 mil cap hit. He's like to cost us half that against our cap.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

After seeking what the Raven's DT just got which is very similar to what we gave JJ as far as gtd $$$ and APY I have to believe Poles will at least be looking at Wilkins along with the DE's out there. I have a gut feel they'd love to have Hunter on board if they can bring him in for a similar deal to JJ's as well. Looks to me like Poles is ready to crank things up several notches to compete this year.

Madubuike? He got quite a bit more than JJ. His APY is 24.5 million (29% more than JJ) and his guarantee is almost as much as JJ’s total contract (74million guaranteed for Madubuike vs 76 million total for JJ).

[Bearfacts]

15M feels a little like an overpay, I’m curious to see how this is structured. I bet it’s a lesser hit / commitment than appears.

Byard along with other top S was averaging $14 mil APY a couple years ago and $12.5 mil last year. A $13-$15 mil 2 yr deal still seems to be in the current "sweet spot" for an experienced FS with his track record plus the guy hasn't misses a start in his entire career. Knock on wood I hope it remains that way. Poles tends never to overpay for anyone.

[Mikefive]

That we signed a significant contributor who starts the season at 31 means what Poles is looking for and how he views the team has progressed beyond just rebuilding.

[Bearfacts]

After seeking what the Raven's DT just got which is very similar to what we gave JJ as far as gtd $$$ and APY I have to believe Poles will at least be looking at Wilkins along with the DE's out there. I have a gut feel they'd love to have Hunter on board if they can bring him in for a similar deal to JJ's as well. Looks to me like Poles is ready to crank things up several notches to compete this year.

Madubuike? He got quite a bit more than JJ. His APY is 24.5 million (29% more than JJ) and his guarantee is almost as much as JJ’s total contract (74million guaranteed for Madubuike vs 76 million total for JJ).

Ooops.....you're right. I must have read the article on it incorrectly as his $75.5 mil being the total not just his gtd $$$. I don't see Poles going anywhere near that high for Wilkins. Jones broke the bank at KC as well so the cost of a DT went through the roof. Time to create our own Chris Jones out of Dexter.

[karhu]

I'd forgotten just what a Patricia'd-up mess the Eagles were on defense last year. If there's no catch, this is a solid deal for a massive upgrade.

[karhu]

Can't say I know much about him, but filling as many holes ahead of the draft makes sense to me so Poles can go BPA in the draft.

Absolutely nails as a tackler and twice as many interceptions as Jackson. Perfect complement to Brisker in a SS/FS way...if he's still got enough in the tank at 31.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

All we needed here was a S that could actually tackle people and make less than like $13M per year.

Eddie Jackson's missed tackle record:
2018: 11 (17.7%)
2019: 11 (15.5%)
2020: 13 (13.7%)
2021: 8 (9.5%)
2022: 9 (10.1%)
2023: 8 (17.8%)

Kevin Byard's missed tackle record over the same period:
2018: 7 (7.2%)
2019: 2 (2.3%)
2020: 8 (6.7%)
2021: 2 (2.2%)
2022: 4 (3.6%)
2023: 5 (3.9%)

Those numbers speak for themselves.

[dplank]

I'd forgotten just what a Patricia'd-up mess the Eagles were on defense last year. If there's no catch, this is a solid deal for a massive upgrade.

That defense was completely lost the last quarter season. Coaches were immediately fired. There’s reason to hope / believe that Byards play suffered greatly from all that. He was a great player just two years ago.