Kevin Byard knew life was going to be different when Mike Vrabel took over in Tennessee. The Titans had just made the playoffs the season prior, but their new head coach didn’t care about that, or who you were in the pecking order. He wanted more. From everyone. For everyone.
“We had our first OTA practice, and it was kind of like a jog through,” Byard recalled earlier this week. “Derrick Henry got the ball to the left, just kind of running - jogging it out. And Taylor Lewan, who was one of the best left tackles in the league at the time, and I want to say he was in the middle of contract negotiations or something like that. And he ripped him. ‘You talking about you done this, and you jogging, and you need to run full speed.’ And it was like, ‘Whoa’. And it was kind of like a shock to everybody, because it was like, man, it's our top player basically, and he was just ripping into him. It's like the first thing that he had kind of said. He kind of just set the tone. Everybody in this building will be held accountable. So if you're not the top guy, you're not working hard, like what do you think you need to do if you're a young guy? So I think he's always been just holding everybody accountable.”
Now Byard and Vrabel are reunited. The veteran safety signed a one-year deal ($9 million) to come to New England and subject himself to that all over again.
"To say (the coaching staff) is ecstatic is an understatement," Eliot Wolf said of Byard. "I know he's an older player, but I haven't seen any real drop-off from him. He proved that last year by obviously making All-Pro."
Byard led the league with 7 interceptions last season in Chicago, but also piled up 93 tackles as the Bears made a big leap under Ben Johnson. He doesn’t run as well as he used to, but that doesn't mean he doesn’t run well. Even though he turns 33 in August, Byard has a training method that has worked for him, and even if he can’t crank out a 4.4 40, his intelligence often allows him to see what’s coming before it does. That, in turn, leads to the ball production.
"It's a combination of a couple of things," Byard said. "Some interceptions that I've had, especially last year, the two interceptions against Geno (Smith) and a couple other ones, that's almost all pure film study. Understanding the coverage, anticipating routes, and just making a play. But then some of it is skill set. The interceptions I had against Philly and New Orleans, those are just going to get the ball. It's definitely a combination of skill, preparation, and anticipation. Some people can probably have five or six interceptions a year if they catch them all, you know what I mean? I try not to waste any opportunities."
Now, Byard joins a secondary that has loads of talent but lacks a closer (and yes, I know Jaylinn Hawkinshad four picks last year. He also had his share of blown coverages).
"Everybody talked about the relationship I have with Vrabes,” Byard said. “Something else that really intrigued me, outside of obviously this team going to the Super Bowl last year, was the secondary, the pieces they have here,
“Christian Gonzalez is one of the best corners in the league already, Carlton Davis has been a really good player in this league for a long time, and Marcus Jonesin the middle. Hopefully, I'm that final piece to make this a top secondary in the league."
Based on their reaction, the Pats are banking on that. And if that 2025-26 Byard shows up in Foxborough, they’ll get it.
GENIE BACK IN BOTTLE?
Was it all a dream? Several days before the start of the legal tampering period, the Ravens shocked the NFL world. A draft and develop culture said the hell with the picks, dealing a pair of first-rounders, this year’s (14th overall) and next year’s, to Las Vegas for Maxx Crosby. In the 31-year history of the franchise (since the move), they had never dealt away a first-rounder.
Crosby flew to Baltimore to take a physical and finalize the swap, but on Tuesday, the Ravens cooked up another surprise, backing out of the trade, citing unforeseen medical issues uncovered in the checkup. By the next morning, Crosby was back in the Raiders’ training facility continuing to rehab for his offseason meniscus surgery.
So what the hell happened? A lot of the speculative reporting around the story suggested, strongly, that the Ravens had gotten cold feet. And considering the team doctor works for the team, and not the player (you wonder why players seek 2nd opinions), it was easy to look at the various MRIs and red-flag Crosby because, let’s face it, a majority of these guys have something - tears, arthritis, etc. - that could be considered an “issue.”
Baltimore immediately pivoted on Wednesday morning, signing former Bengal edge rusher Trey Hendricksonto a four-year contract worth $112 million. It was then leaked to media sources that the team had hoped to sign Hendrickson to play alongside Crosby...
“We live in that age of skepticism, and people question, especially people who don’t really know me or know the Ravens culture and the Ravens organization. I understand it,” GM Eric DeCostasaid on Wednesday night. “As I said at the beginning, I’ve got a responsibility for the Ravens, to this community, to our fans, and to (owner) Steve Bisciotti to do what we think is best for the club. And that’s what we always try to do.
“Every decision we make is based on this idea. ‘Is this the best thing for the Ravens?’”
DeCosta called Crosby one of his favorite players in the league, adding, “Nobody’s more upset about this (the trade falling apart) than me - gutted by it, actually. And so a regret, a big regret for me, but we will move on as a football team.”
DeCosta wouldn’t reveal what the medical issue was that prevented the deal from being completed. Meanwhile, Crosby took to X, posting this gem: "Everything happens for a reason. Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. I'm a Raider. I'm back. Run that sh*t."
Per league sources, several teams re-engaged the Raiders about Crosby’s availability, but the sense they got was that Vegas is not about to move off the player for less than what it originally got. To this point, that offer hasn’t come. Of course, that, like everything else, is subject to change.
File under: What a mess.
PATS PATH?
After seeing the Patriots spend like crazy last offseason (think my son when it’s my money and not his) and then have great success, are other teams taking a similar approach during this free agency period?
The short answer is yes, whether they admit it or not.
The one clearly following the path the Pats carved out is the Titans. I won’t hear otherwise.
In Tennessee’s case, Cam Ward is at the beginning of his career, and he showed some good signs for a bad team in year one (see Maye, Drake). With an entirely new coaching staff (cough, Pats, cough) and the spectre of Mike Vrabel’s ghost hovering over Nashville, GM MIke Borgonzi has committed $293 million to free agents. Those signing run from Wan’Dale Robinson (4 years, $78 mil), DL John Franklin-Myers (3 years, $63 mil), and CB Alontae Taylor (3 years, $60 mil) to backup QB Mitchell Trubisky($10.5 mil over 2 seasons). Of course, there’s no guarantee the Titans can go from 3 wins to a Super Bowl in less than 11 months' time, but at the very least, they’ve raised their floor from the basement to...who knows?
The Raiders have also gone this route, doling out almost as much guaranteed money as Tennessee ($281 mil). Now they don’t quite have their quarterback just yet (they are almost assuredly drafting Fernando Mendoza #1 overall), but they do have a new coaching staff with an accomplished offensive play-caller (Klint Kubiak, who just so happens to be the head coach). Mendoza will enter Vegas with an offensive line that, on paper, is vastly superior to what the team ran out there a year ago (hello, Pats), and added a contributing wideout in Jalen Nailorto go along with some of their more recent draft picks (Bech, Thornton, and Bowers). The return of Crosby immediately kicks their defense into a different stratosphere. Again, I wouldn’t wager the house and the college funds on the Raiders winning more than a half-dozen games, but they understand there’s an opportunity to at least become frisky, or a tough out, which, if you hit Pats brass with a truth serum last winter, was their baseline goal. And if somehow it all magically comes together, and they can take advantage of a last-place schedule, who knows?
PUMP THE BRAKES (for now)
Did you ever notice how fanbases think they can will a player to their team, even if there’s no earthly reason for the team that employs that player to move him? Yeah, me too.
This offseason’s prime example is Brian Thomas Jr.For those who don’t know, he was a 2024 first-round pick who was about as good as a rookie can be for Jacksonville, hauling in 87 passes for nearly 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Jaguars struck gold and, even after a coaching change, felt they had a foundational piece for the highly paid but underachieving Trevor Lawrence.
But year two was rocky. Head coach Liam Coentried to move Thomas around the formation, and the 6’2”, 209-pounder didn’t acclimate well to his new role. He had drop issues, his toughness was questioned (he missed 3 games), and he had a dramatic drop in production (48 rec, 707 yds, 2 TDs). Rumors started to swirl near the trade deadline that Thomas might be available, and even a significantly better performance once Coen allowed the 23-year-old to focus on being an outside receiver, haven’t dissipated. Why?
In talking to league sources, plenty of teams have inquired about Thomas’ services and were either rebuffed - i.e., the Jags have no desire to part with him - or were sent scurrying by the asking price. That makes sense. Thomas is under a rookie contract and is at cost-controlled prices for the next two seasons, three if you count the 5th year player option (which I do). It would take something special to get Jacksonville to feel compelled to move him. Perhaps that explains the Bills dealing a second-round pick for D.J. Moore (they were one of the teams that initially made that call) when, in theory, they would have been an excellent schematic fit.
That’s not to say the Jags won’t eventually move on from Thomas. As GM James Gladstonesaid shortly after the season ended, “The cool thing about our offensive system, and this is my observation, and Liam can dive into the details, is each and every game presents a different problem for an opponent. You never know who's going to pop off.
“You look back at the output of the collective. We had three receivers go over 700 yards. That's abnormal. That's not typical. Being able to spread the wealth, so to speak, is really positive. With Jakobi’s [WR Jakobi Meyers] arrival, it certainly allowed B.T. to continue to level up in areas that fit within the system itself that were fit for his skill set and allowed him to be the best version of himself down that back stretch of the season.”
In other words, let’s see how it goes to start 2026. With all the pieces in place - Meyers signed that in-season extension - Thomas should remain in that “best version” space/place. If that doesn’t spark a season that is more consistent and productive, his name will keep coming up. But for now, barring an offer that knocks their socks off, Thomas looks like he’s sticking around (and should be).
