Restructure for Byrd?
 

The Saints could restructure FS Jairus Byrd’s contract.

Byrd’s $6 million salary is fully guaranteed, but the Saints might look to reduce his $10.9 million cap hit. It would be the second straight year Byrd's contract was reworked after he converted his roster bonus into a signing bonus last season. Byrd has played in just 17 games the past two years.

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More Cap Space!

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I don't think we touch that contract again so next year it will be easy to make a decision on Byrd. Only 3,4mil dead money in 2017. Either he performs like one of the elite safeties or he is gone. I won't be surprised if we draft safety this year in first 2-3 rounds...

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

More cap space is cool and all, but I'd rather cut him after this season with less dead money.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I have to agree with Bree84. Do not back ourselves any further into a hole with Byrd.

We have a punter that needs to rework his deal first IMO

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I don't get people being against paying the only guy on special teams that's performing well. In spite of McMahon.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

If healthy, he's better than anyone else on the Saints roster at the position or in the draft. I keep having hopes for Sunseri. But, he can't stay healthy either.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

No one is against paying a punter what he is worth but we are against paying an above avg. one the most in NFL history. No way he is worth 5 million a year.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Byrd has been an absolute pathetic pickup
Not counting when he was injured

He is never anywhere near the ball
Doesn't coverge over the top on a deep play
When he actually gets in position and has a shot he misses
In the Colts game last year he was turned around 3 times for a score

The only time you see him is when someone is already tackled he runs up to touch them, trying to add to his stats?

Just pathetic

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

The colts game was Delvin Breaux not Byrd

Delvin Breaux flat out tripped on the first long TD
Got turned around and then tripped on the second TD

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

But, but, but, he's been almost the best defensive player we've had too!

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Spot on.
Good punter, and seems like a good guy and all that, but he is not top 5 anymore. Statistically he is not even top ten

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

LOL, true story!

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

It is not that it is just logical when you look at the deal for both parties. Besides I would rather get stuck with Morstead for another year contract wise than paint myself into a corner and get stuck with Byrd for another year because I re did his deal. I would think the saints would want to keep all options team friendly when it comes to Byrd.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Byrd had 22 interceptions in his first 5 years. Funny how he comes to New Orleans and plays like ****, when in Buffalo he was a ball hawk. System? Maybe. Malcolm Jenkins might think so.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Bring him closer to the line and let him jump crossing routes

Playing centerfield is doing absolutely nothing!

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

He came here injured too. We'll see what happens to him this year.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I have a good feeling about Byrd this year, I think we had some obvious secondary problems last year, and I think Byrd often tried to adjust to fix holes in the defense which made him look out of place. I have a feeling this will be the year he lives up to the rep.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I agree. Byrd was too busy keeping a lazy eye on #39. Kind of hard to freelance when you know the play was coming his way.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Byrd will definitely restructure now, along with Drew of course.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I am not talking about Breaux's two plays
I'm talking a single plasy where the receiver juked Byrd three times and scored

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Byrd was nowhere near Browner
He was playing deep centerfield on the warning tracks in a ballpark with 500 ft to the wall

Never helped out the right fielder up the gap

And was tentative to anything coming his way

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Byrd injury history is a solid reason not to redo this contract and back load it any further. We need room in the tub for other players. He is hang out and snapping towels with his team mates for way too long now.

dead vs cap
2016 $10,900,000 $17,400,000 We be stuck

Now cutting Byrd gives us cap relief
2017 $11,700,000 $8,000,000
2018 $12,200,000 $4,600,000
2019 $10,200,000 $1,200,000

With his history why in the world would not look at this as his option year?

I watched him a ton in the northeast and warned all the people going gaga over him that the Pats always wanted him locked into coverage and not allowed to roam free. That was the game plan to neutralize him.

Byrd needs a SS with coverage skills to free him up to roam. In order to free up a SS to maximize Byrds skill set you need CB that can cover one on one. The saints still have not added a SS to help the guy out back there. The Kenny and Byrd marriage was a match doomed to fail before the ink dried on the deal.

Also Byrd came from the AFC East. Every team in the AFC East has a revolving door at the QBs locker, except the Pats. So INT came easy and often with such bad QB play year in and year out in the division.

So this is why I hated the contract and all the media hype surrounding him. Then to watch Rob do little or nothing to make this signing work as best as he could simple amazed me to the point of making me physically sick.

So once again I am beating the draft drum for FS/SS/CB in the draft. Ones with coverage skill of an above average CB with bad hips and yet have tackling skill of a LB but just not the build. Jalen Ramsey is a dream pick to solve the issues with Byrd but so was Deone Bucannon at 27 in 2014. I still would take Deon over Cook to this day. Which was my pick at 27 for the saints.

So my only hope is in Dennis Allen to correct this glaring level of personnel stupidity that ranks up there with some of the saints greatest bone head moves in history. It is a good year for FS/SS/CB types this year so there is hope. The talent level is so good and deep it flows over into UDFA. Unless it turns into a record year for the number of FS/SS/CB taken in a draft. The first 3 rounds have enough talent to get a player with a solid chance of starting at SS and/or replacing Bryd at FS all together. anyways...

Till the saints do something to plug this crippling cap situation they created and have done absolutely nothing to make it work, I can not see a valid reason to paint yourself any further into a hole with him by redoing his contract.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I never thought about that. I still have high hopes that he will be at least worth half his salary but u have good points.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Even if Byrd was one of the top safeties in the league for the remained of his contract ID let him go, that said Roby Ryan was more than likely the problem as he was for pretty much everything

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I sure wish we could see Sunseri available more often. He has shown flashes of talent when I've watched him play. He looks good to my untrained eye.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Yeah. He's spunky. He's one of those guys, you know, that might not show well in practice but might do well actually playing the game. I don't know.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Vinny will have his chance to shine at camp. Hopefully he is completely healthy & ready to go.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

You were not the only one who wanted Buccannon. Your right about Ramsey too.. Vaccarro really is a bad SS and needs traded or cut. We're going to need another man CB also. With the lb.'ers we have they might be o.k. but a cover OLB in the draft would go a long way as far as that position goes but we still got to plug up the middle upfront. I like Reed over Robinson but with what we have now I got to go with Robinson because he's quicker and thats the only reason. To build around though Reed would be the man. If we do go after Robinson at #14 we could use our 2nd on the Penn state guy. If we go Reed at #14 I would still get the Penn State monster or Butler. I'm still trying to fit WR Sharpe in there somewhere and a OG although there is a pretty decent OG in the 4th.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I dont know what games you were watching but Byrd was all around the ball when in the lineup. He actually produced well once he got healthy. Hes not worth the salary but he is one of our best defensive backs.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

I just rewatched the condensed game of the second Saints / Panthers

Byrd. - here in just two bone head plays that cost 14 points



3rd and 17 (first and goal after a penalty)
Five guys lined up in the end zone
Guy on left has to bite up on under receiver
Byrd just stands there rather than cover - touchdown

Later gywn runs a deep post
Beats the cb, burns byrd who is right in his line of fire, who only manages to grab his arm, not even slow him down
Catches the ball ten yards later - walk in
Touchdown

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

Now granted that I am not watching Byrd on every single play like my life depended on it, but it SEEMS to me like after Ryan left, Byrd has been inching and creeping his way back towards the action, where the game is happening, and not lining up 30 and 40+ yards down the field all the time -- like he's waiting to return a punt or something.

Which was always my "eyeball" problem with him, ever since I first noticed it, in his first pre-season here with Ryan. I'm not a coach, and I'm no genius of the X's and O's; I get that he's supposed to roam and play center field, sure sure. But on many plays when Ryan was here, it looked to me like Byrd would often be lined up way, way way WAAAAAY back, 30 and 40+ yards away down the field. Sometimes it felt like the Saints were playing 10 men against 11, and I feel like that may have contributed to a lot of the frustrating first downs on 3rd and long, a lot of the opponents' successful plays under 20 yards, big gashing runs, inability to get off the field, and things like that. When he's in the right position, Byrd certainly makes plays. When he's lined up on the 35 and the two teams are all playing the game on the other 25 yard line, at the other end of the field from him, he's not so effective. We'll have to see what happens next.

Re: Restructure for Byrd?
 

On Byrds, he came from a pretty good 3-4 D with good coaches. Coming to a 4-3 with a pathetic D and the good ole' boys as coaches. I think he took the deal because he was hurt myself. A healthy Byrd on a good D is a very good FS.