Bills Could Franchise S Jairus Byrd With The Intention Of Trading Him?

Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 Buffalo writes that, depending on how things go in the coming weeks, the Bills could apply their franchise tag to impending free agent S Jairus Byrd with the intention of trading him this offseason.

According to Buscaglia, the Bills are expected to meet with Byrd’s agent, Eugene Parker, at the Scouting Combine next week to discuss a potential long-term.

Buscaglia adds that re-signing Byrd could lead to Aaron Williams playing elsewhere in 2015, as it’s unlikely that Buffalo would be willing to pay him close to $5 million annually in his next contract.

The Bills franchised Byrd last year, so they would be looking at a one-year tender worth $8.299 million in 2014 if they were to go this route.

Byrd, 27, is reportedly seeking a similar contract to that of Eric Weddle, who received a five-year, $40 million deal from the Chargers. Assuming that the Bills are willing to trade Byrd, they would most likely be seeking at least second-round pick in return for him seeing as they would almost certainly receive a third-round compensatory pick if he were to sign elsewhere in free agency.

We have Byrd listed as the No. 3 player in our Top 50 Free Agents list.