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July 24 (UPI) -- The Tennessee Titans reached a multiyear contract extension with Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard that will make him the highest-paid safety in NFL history. The team announced the deal Wednesday night. League sources told the NFL Network and ESPN that Byard will earn $70.5 million over five years. The extension also includes $31 million in guarantees.
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The Titans selected Byard in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Middle Tennessee State University. He is entering his fourth season with the Titans, playing in all 48 regular-season games since joining the franchise.
Byard has started all 32 games in the last two seasons, playing 99.7 percent of the Titans' defensive snaps since the 2017 campaign. He recorded 90 combined tackles, eight passes defensed, four interceptions and two sacks last season.
In three seasons in the league, Byard has notched 235 combined tackles, 12 interceptions, 28 passes defensed and three sacks. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2017 and was named first-team All-Pro that season.
Before Byard's extension, Washington Redskins safety Landon Collins and the Kansas City Chiefs' Tyrann Mathieu were the highest-paid safeties in the league. Collins and Mathieu signed deals in March for an annual average of $14 million.
