ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Buffalo Bills will use their franchise tag on S Jairus Byrd.
Bills are placing franchise tag on S Jairus Byrd.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2013
Ian Rapoport has confirmed that Buffalo is likely to use the designation on Byrd.
Byrd, 26, was an obvious candidate after they released veteran S George Wilson, who put together a very solid 2012 season of his own for the Bills defense.
Byrd is, hands down, one of the best safeties in the league, and given that top-tier safeties have seen their value increase exponentially in recent years, this move makes a lot of sense for Buffalo.
I’m sure they’ll continue to work on a long-term extension in the coming months. The franchise tag will run the Bills a reasonable $6.91 million this season.
We have Byrd listed as the No. 3 best available player in our Top 50 Free Agents list.
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