Kevin Leon Byard III (born August 17, 1993) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Byard was selected by the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

in the third round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

. In 2017, his second season in the NFL, he was selected to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

and the first-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

and was the co-leader for most

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

throughout the season. Additionally, he led the NFL in takeaways with 10 (8 interceptions and 2

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

recoveries).

Early life

Byard was born on August 17, 1993, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. After his parents divorced at the age of 14, Byard moved to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

with his mother and siblings. He attended Martin Luther King Jr. High School in

Lithonia, Georgia Lithonia ( , AAVE: ) is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The city's population was 2,662 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolita ...

. In high school, he participated in

and track.

College career

Byard played for the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders of

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...

from 2012 to 2015. He was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 2011. He earned Honorable Mention All-

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

honors in 2013. He was named First-team All-Conference USA in 2014 and 2015. Byard's 19 career interceptions are the most in school history. Byard graduated from Middle Tennessee in May 2015 with a degree in liberal studies.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

On November 22, 2015, Byard announced on

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that he had accepted his invitation to play in the

2016 Senior Bowl The 2016 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2016 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game concluded the ...

. During the week leading up to the Senior Bowl, Byard was impressive during practices as he displayed his ball-hawking and athletic ability. He met with representatives from the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

during the week. He was not one of the 60 defensive backs invited to the

NFL combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

. On March 31, 2016, Byard participated at Middle Tennessee's

pro day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

, along with 18 other teammates, and was the top prospect participating with representatives and scouts from 24 NFL teams attending. He surprised many scouts and analysts with a 4.46 and 4.50 in the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

as many scouting reports listed speed as one of his weaknesses. He met with representatives from the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, and

during his pro day. He had official private visits or workouts with 12 NFL teams, including the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Titans, and

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Byard received many mixed draft projections from draft experts and scouts, with some (DraftScout.com) projecting him to be a third or fourth round pick to others (NFL.com) projecting him to be drafted in the sixth or seventh round. He was ranked the fifth best strong safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans selected Byard in the third round (64th overall) of the

. Byard was the 24th player ever drafted from Middle Tennessee State and the highest player drafted from there since Tyrone Calico (second round, 60th overall) in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, who was also drafted by the

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...

. Byard was the fifth safety selected in the 2016 NFL draft.

2016

On July 18, 2016, the Tennessee Titans signed Byard to a four–year, $3.63 million

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

contract with an initial

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $897,060. He entered

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

as a candidate to earn a starting safety role following the departure of Michael Griffin, but had to compete against veterans Rashad Johnson and Da'Norris Searcy under defensive coordinator

Dick LeBeau Charles Richard LeBeau ( ; born September 9, 1937) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) He was active at field level in the NFL for 59 consecutive seasons, 14 playing as a cornerback ...

. During training camp, Daimion Stafford began taking over first-team reps from Byard and Searcy. Head coach

Mike Mularkey Michael Rene Mularkey (born November 19, 1961) is an American former professional football coach and tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, and was selected by the San Francisc ...

named him a backup to begin the season, behind starting safeties Rashad Johnson and Da'Norris Searcy and primary backup Daimion Stafford. On September 11, 2016, Byard made his professional regular season debut in the Tennessee Titans' season-opener against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

and made five solo

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

in their 25–16 loss. In Week 9, Byard collected a season–high ten combined tackles (five solo) in the Titans' 43–35 loss at the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

. His playing time increased after Rashad Johnson suffered a neck injury and was subsequently inactive for two games (Weeks 8–9). After performing well, he supplanted Johnson as the starting free safety before Week 10. On November 13, 2016, Byard earned his first career start and had eight solo tackles and made his first career sack on

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

for an eight–yard loss during a 47–25 victory against the

in Week 10. He remained the Titans' starting free safety for the last seven games of the season (Weeks 10–17). He finished his rookie season during the

2016 NFL season The 2016 NFL season was the 97th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 51st of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 8, 2016, with the defending Super Bowl 50 champion 2016 Denver Broncos season, Denve ...

with a total of 58 combined tackles (44 solo), one sack, and four pass deflections in 16 games and seven starts. He also finished second on the squad with 10 special teams tackles. He received an overall grade of 62.5 from

Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...

as a rookie in 2016.

2017

He entered training camp slated as the ''de facto'' free safety after they opted not to re-sign Rashad Johnson. Head coach Mike Mularkey named him the starting free safety to begin the regular season and paired him with starting strong safety Logan Ryan. On October 1, 2017, Byard collected a season-high nine combined tackles (four solo), two pass deflections, and made his first career interception from a pass thrown by

Deshaun Watson Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, leading the team to a national ...

to wide receiver

DeAndre Hopkins DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992), nicknamed "DHop" and "Nuk", is an American professional American football, football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cle ...

during a 57–14 loss at the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. On October 22, 2017, Byard recorded four combined tackles (two solo), three pass deflections, and a career-high three interceptions off passes by

DeShone Kizer DeShone Allen Kizer (; born January 3, 1996) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected ...

and Cody Kessler during a 12–9 overtime win at the

. His three-interception performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. The following game, Byard had four solo tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by Joe Flacco during a 23–20 victory against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

in Week 9. He became the fifth player in NFL history to record five interceptions in a two-game span joining DeAngelo Hall (2010), Albert Lewis (

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

), Willie Buchanon (

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

), and Mike Haynes (

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

). He received a grade of 89.9 from

which was the third highest grade among safeties through the first twelve games, only behind Harrison Smith (94.2) and Adrian Amos (92.3). On December 31, 2017, Byard recorded six combined tackles (four solo), two pass deflections, and had two interceptions on passes thrown by

Blake Bortles Robby Blake Bortles (born April 28, 1992) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the UCF ...

during a 15–10 victory over the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. His performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He started all 16 games during the

2017 NFL season The 2017 NFL season was the 98th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 52nd of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 7, 2017, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the defending Super Bowl LI champion ...

and finished with a total of 87 combined tackles (62 solo), 16 pass deflections, and led the entire league with eight interceptions and was named first-team

. Pro Football Focus had him finish the season with an overall grade of 87.0 in 2017. Kevin Byard 2018 08-09

The Tennessee Titans finished the

second in the

AFC South The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season, 200 ...

with a 9–7 record and received a playoff berth. On January 6, 2018, Byard started in his first NFL playoff game and recorded five solo tackles during a 22–21 win at the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

in the AFC

Wild Card Round A wild card (also wildcard or wild-card and also known as an at-large berth or at-large bid) is an invitation to a tournament or a playoff berth awarded to a team or individual that does not qualify via an automatic bid. In some events, wildcards ...

. The following week, Byard made ten combined tackles (nine solo) in the Titans' 35–14 loss at the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in the AFC Divisional Round. On January 21, 2018, Byard earned his first career

selection to appear in the

2018 Pro Bowl The 2018 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2017 NFL season, 2017 season, which was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on January 28, 2018. For the first time since 2009, the game started during af ...

as an injury replacement after Bills' safety Micah Hyde bowed out due to a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

. He was also ranked 80th by his fellow players on the

NFL Top 100 Players of 2018 The NFL Top 100 Players of 2018 was the eighth season in the series. It ended with reigning NFL MVP Tom Brady being ranked #1, making him the only player to be voted #1 three times, already being the only player to be voted first more than once. ...

2018

On January 20, 2018, the

announced hiring of former Houston Texans' defensive coordinator

Mike Vrabel Michael George Vrabel ( ; born August 14, 1975) is an American professional American football, football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college footba ...

as their new head coach following the departure of

. Defensive coordinator

Dean Pees Russell Dean Pees (born September 4, 1949) is an American football coach who is a senior advisor for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He was the defensive coordinator for the Ravens, New England Patriots, Tennessee Tit ...

opted to retain Byard as a starting safety. Head coach Mike Vrabel named him the starting strong safety to begin the season and paired him with free safety Kenny Vaccaro. In Week 2, Byard threw a 66–yard touchdown pass to rookie cornerback Dane Cruikshank on a fake punt on the Titans' opening drive during the first quarter as the Titans defeated the

20–17. On September 30, 2018, he racked up a season-high 11 combined tackles (nine solo) during a 26–20 overtime victory against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. In Week 9, he made five combined tackles (three solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by

Dak Prescott Rayne Dakota Prescott (; born July 29, 1993) is an American professional football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, twice earning first-team ...

to wide receiver

Amari Cooper Amari Cooper (born June 17, 1994) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide football, Alabama Crimson Tide, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top rec ...

in the endzone as the Titans defeated the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

28–14. After the pick, Byard celebrated on the Dallas Cowboys' star logo at midfield. The celebration was widely publicized as it resembled

Terrell Owens Terrell Eldorado Owens (; born December 7, 1973), also known by his initials "T.O.", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the greatest wide rec ...

' infamous celebration from the early 2000s. He was fined $10,026 for the celebration. In Week 15, Byard had five combined tackles (four solo), two pass deflections, set a career-high with his second sack of the season, and intercepted a pass by

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning family, he is the youngest ...

to wide receiver

Russell Shepard Russell Shepard (born September 17, 1990) is an American former professional football wide receiver and special teamer. He played college football at Louisiana State University and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagle ...

during a 17–0 victory at the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. The following week, Byard recorded nine combined tackles (six solo), tied his season-high of two pass deflections, and secured the Titans' 25–16 victory over the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

by intercepting a pass attempt by Josh Johnson to wide receiver Josh Doctson near the end of the fourth quarter. The Titans missed the playoffs by losing 33–17 in Week 17 against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

and finishing with a 9–7 record. He started all 16 games for the second consecutive season in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and had a total of 90 combined tackles (62 solo), a career-high two sacks, eight pass deflections, and four interceptions. His overall grade from Pro Football Focus was 88.4 in 2018.

2019

On July 24, 2019, the

signed Byard to a five–year, $70.50 million

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

extension that includes $31.00 million guaranteed, $25.22 million guaranteed upon signing, and an initial

of $9.00 million, making him the highest-paid safety in NFL history. He entered training camp slated as the ''de facto'' starting free safety. Head coach

named him the starting

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

to start the season and paired him with Kenny Vaccaro. Kevin_Byard_2019_12-08

During the season-opener against the Browns, Byard made an interception off

Baker Mayfield Baker Reagan Mayfield (born April 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners ...

and returned it 28 yards in the Titans' 43–13 road victory. In Week 5, Byard made five combined tackles (four solo), had a season-high two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by

Josh Allen Joshua Patrick Allen (born May 21, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys football, Wyoming Cow ...

to wide receiver

Cole Beasley Cole Dickson Beasley (born April 26, 1989) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football at SMU Mustangs football, Southern Methodist University and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undra ...

during a 14–7 loss to the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. The following week, he set a season-high with six solo tackles, made a pass deflection, and recorded an interception off a pass by Joe Flacco that had ricochet off tight end Noah Fant's back during a 16–0 loss at the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. In Week 12, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles (four solo) as the Titans defeated the

42–20. On December 29, 2019, Byard tied his season-high of six solo tackles (seven combined), made one pass deflection, and helped secure a 35–14 win at the

with an late fourth quarter interception off a pass by A. J. McCarron to tight end Jordan Akins. He started all 16 games for the third consecutive season and finished with 84 combined tackles (60 solo), five interceptions, and nine passes defended. He finished with an overall grade of 79.4 from

in 2019.

The Tennessee Titans finished the

2019 NFL season The 2019 NFL season was the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 54th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 5, 2019, with the NFL Kickoff Game, in which the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears. T ...

second in the

with a 9–7 record and earned a Wild-Card berth. They won the AFC Wild-Card Game with a 20–13 victory at the

. On January 11, 2020, Byard started in the Divisional Round of the playoffs at the

and had 11 combined tackles (seven solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass on the Ravens' opening drive that was thrown by

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman T ...

to tight end Mark Andrews in the Titans' 28–12 victory. On January 19, 2020, Byard started made four combined tackles (three solo) as the Titans lost 24–35 in the AFC Championship Game at the

, who went on to become the Super Bowl LIV Champions.

2020

Head coach Mike Vrabel took over duties as the defensive coordinator following the retirement of

. He returned as the starting free safety and remained alongside strong safety Kenny Vaccaro. Kevin Byard 2021 09-19

On September 14, 2020, Byard started in the Tennessee Titans' season-opener at the

on ''

Monday Night Football ''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...

'' and led the team with nine combined tackles (eight solo), made one pass deflection, and forced a fumble by running back

Melvin Gordon Melvin Gordon III (born April 13, 1993) is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Doak Walker Award as the top college running ...

that was recovered by defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons during a 16–14 victory. In Week 14, he collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (eight solo) during a 31–10 victory at the

. In Week 15, Byard tied his season-high of 11 combined tackles (six solo), set a season-high with two pass deflections, and had his lone interception of the season on a pass by Chase Daniel as the Titans defeated the

46–25. He started all 16 games in the

2020 NFL season The 2020 NFL season was the 101st season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season started with the NFL Kickoff Game on September 10, in which defending Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City defeated Houston. The playoffs were ...

and finished with 111 combined tackles (79 solo), one interceptions, seven passes defended, and one forced fumble. Byard's 111 total tackles led the team. Pro Football Focus had him finish the season with an overall grade of 65.8.

2021

On January 29, 2021, head coach Mike Vrabel promoted outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen to defensive coordinator. Bowen retained Byard as the starting free safety to enter the regular season and paired him with

Amani Hooker Amani Corvelle Hooker (born June 14, 1998) is an American professional American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa ...

following the departure of Kenny Vaccaro. On October 10, 2021, Byard made 11 combined tackles (eight solo), two pass deflections, an interception, and scored his first career touchdown after he recovered a fumble that teammate Elijah Molden forced by tight end Dan Arnold and returned it for a 30–yard touchdown on the opening drive of the Titans' 37–19 victory at the

. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. On October 31, 2021, Byard had four solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and secured a victory after intercepting a pass by

Carson Wentz Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS national championships as the starter. Wentz was s ...

to wide receiver Michael Pittman during overtime, leading to Randy Bullock's 44–yard game-winning field goal in the Titans' 34–31 victory at the

. The following week, he had three tackles, one pass deflection, and had his first career pick-six after intercepting a pass thrown by

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs football, Georg ...

to wide receiver Robert Woods and returning it for a 24-yard touchdown during a 28–16 victory at the

in Week 9. He started all 17 games during the

2021 NFL season The 2021 NFL season was the 102nd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season was the first to feature a 17-game regular season schedule as the league expanded the season from 16 games. The regular season started on September 9, ...

and had a total of 88 combined tackles (57 solo), 13 passes defended, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, one sack, and a career-high two touchdowns. He was named to his second

and earned first team All-Pro honors. He was ranked 34th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022. He set a career-high with an overall grade of 90.6 from

in 2021.

2022

He entered training camp slated as the ''de facto'' starting free safety alongside

. Head coach Mike Vrabel officially named Byard and Amani Hooker the starting safeties to begin the season. On September 11, 2022, he started in the Tennessee Titans' home-opener against the

and collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (eight solo) during a 21–20 loss. In Week 4, Byard made four combined tackles (one solo), one pass deflection, and helped secure a 24–22 win against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

after intercepting a pass by

Derek Carr Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American former professional football quarterback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, receiving first-team All-Mou ...

to tight end Darren Waller late in the fourth quarter. On December 29, 2022, Byard had six combined tackles (four solo), a season-high two pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions on passes thrown by

during a 27–13 loss against the

. He started all 17 games during the

2022 NFL season The 2022 NFL season was the 103rd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 8, 2022, with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion 2022 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles Rams falling to 2022 Buffalo Bills sea ...

and finished with 108 combined tackles (69 solo), four interceptions, and six passes defended. He led the team interceptions and total tackles. He received an overall grade of 79.5 from Pro Football Focus in 2022.

2023

On July 21, 2023, the

and Byard agreed to restructure the remaining two years of his contract with Byard signing a new two–year, $25.10 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $7.00 million. He entered training camp slated as the ''de facto'' starting free safety. Head coach Mike Vrabel retained Byard and Amani Hooker as the starting safety tandem to begin the regular season. On September 17, 2023, he led the Titans with 12 combined tackles (seven solo) during a 27–24 overtime victory against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. In six starts with the Tennessee Titans during the

2023 NFL season The 2023 NFL season was the 104th season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season began on September 7, 2023, with defending Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City losing to Detroit in the NFL Kickoff Game, and ended on January ...

, Byard had a total of 47 combined tackles (30 solo) and one fumble recovery.

Philadelphia Eagles

On October 23, 2023, the Tennessee Titans traded Byard to the

in exchange for a fifth-round pick (146th overall) and a sixth-round pick (182nd overall) in the

2024 NFL draft The 2024 NFL draft was the 89th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft was held at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit on April 25–27, 2024. The draft had an attendanc ...

along with safety Terrell Edmunds. The Eagles acquired Byard as a replacement for Justin Evans, after he was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Upon his arrival, head coach

Nick Sirianni Nicholas John Sirianni ( ; born June 15, 1981) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Indianap ...

named him a starting strong safety and paired him with starting free safety Reed Blankenship. On November 20, 2023, he recorded eight solo tackles, set a season-high with two pass deflections, and had his first interception as a part of the Eagles after picking off a touchdown pass thrown by

Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II ( ; born September 17, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Mahomes has led the Chiefs to seven consecutive AFC Championship Game app ...

in to the endzone to wide receiver Justin Watson during a 21–17 win at the

. The following week, he collected a season-high 13 combined tackles (eight solo) as the Eagles defeated the

in overtime 37–34 in Week 12. He finished the entire

with a combined total of 122 combined tackles (80 solo), three passes defended, one interception , and a fumble recovery. He started in all 16 games and was not able to play in 17 regular season games due to his trade occurring between bye weeks for both teams. Across his ten games with the Philadelphia Eagles, Byard had 75 combined tackles (50 solo), three pass deflections, and one interception. He received an overall grade of 74.0 from Pro Football Focus in 2023.

2024

On March 1, 2024, the

officially released Byard, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Chicago Bears

On March 10, 2024, the

signed Byard to a two–year, $15.00 million

that includes $7.39 million guaranteed upon signing and an initial

of $3.00 million. He entered training camp projected to be a starter under defensive coordinator Eric Washington, following the departure of long-time starting free safety Eddie Jackson. Head coach Matt Eberflus named him the starting free safety to begin the season and paired him with strong safety Jaquan Brisker. On October 6, 2024, Byard made six combined tackles (five solo), a pass deflection, and made his only interception of the season on a pass thrown by Andy Dalton to wide receiver Jonathan Mingo during a 36–10 victory against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. During the game, starting strong safety Jaquan Brisker sustained a

while delivering a hit to tight end Tommy Tremble and was inactive for four games (Weeks 6–10) before being officially placed on injured reserve and missing the remaining eight games of the season (Weeks 11–18). In his place, Byard was paired with Elijah Hicks (7 games) and Jonathan Owens (5 games). On November 29, 2024, the Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus after falling to a 4–8 record. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was appointed to interim head coach for the rest of the season. On January 5, 2025, Byard collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (nine solo) and tied his career-high with his second sack of the season on

Malik Willis Malik Antonio Willis ( ; born May 25, 1999) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers football, Auburn Tig ...

during a 24–22 win at the

. He started in all 17 games during the

2024 NFL season The 2024 NFL season was the 105th season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 5, 2024, with reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City defeating Baltimore in the NFL Kickoff Game. The regular season concluded on ...

and set a career-high with 130 combined tackles (80 solo), seven pass deflections, a career-high two sacks, made two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and one interception. He performed well in his first season with the Chicago Bears, receiving an overall grade of 72.8 from

, which ranked 32nd among 121 qualifying safeties in 2024.

2025

On January 21, 2025, the

hired Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their new head coach, following their decision to fire Matt Eberflus after finishing with a 5–12 record during the

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

NFL records

* Longest touchdown pass by a defensive player in the Super Bowl era (66 yards)

Titans franchise records

* First player in team history to record five interceptions in a two-game span

Personal life

Byard married his girlfriend, Clarke Conner, in 2018. They had their first child, a daughter, Eliana Rose, on August 22, 2019. Byard is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Byard is also called the “Mayor of

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

” as a nickname referencing his college town.

References

External links

*
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders bioChicago Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byard, Kevin 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Lithonia, Georgia American football safeties Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football players Tennessee Titans players American Conference Pro Bowl players Philadelphia Eagles players Chicago Bears players