.jpg) Byrd with theNew Orleans Saints in 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 31 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1986-10-07)October 7, 1986 (age 39) San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Clayton (Clayton, Missouri) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Oregon (2005–2008) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2009: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Jairus Keelon Byrd (born October 7, 1986) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOregon Ducks. He was selected by theBuffalo Bills in the second round of the2009 NFL draft. He is a three-timePro Bowl selection.
Byrd attendedClayton High School inSt. Louis County, Missouri. He playedquarterback,wide receiver, safety andspecial teams. As a senior, he was the Missouri 4A offensive player of the year and played a large role in leading the school to the 2004 state championship. As a senior, he rushed for 1,480 yards with 26touchdowns, passed for 1,038 yards with 13 touchdowns, and made six receptions for 125 yards on offense. On defense, he had 71tackles, seven interceptions, threequarterback sacks and twofumble recoveries. He also had 10 kickoff returns, 15 punt returns, and 18 punts. He also lettered in baseball, basketball and track.
Byrd enrolled in theUniversity of Oregon, where he played for theOregon Ducks football team. As a freshman in 2005, Byrd wasred-shirted. In 2006 Byrd was a freshmanAll-American second-team selection byThe Sporting News and was thePac-10 co-freshman player of the year (alongsideTaylor Mays andAlterraun Verner). He started the last 11 games atcornerback, recording 56 tackles and five interceptions.
As a sophomore in 2007 Byrd was an All-Pac-10 conference honorable mention. He started all 13 games for the Ducks, recording 64 tackles, a sack, and a conference leading seven interceptions. As a junior in 2008 he was an all-Pac 10 first-team selection and was the defensive MVP of the2008 Holiday Bowl. He started 13 games and finished with 83 tackles and five interceptions.
Byrd finished his college career starting 37 of 39 games, with 203 tackles, 17 interceptions, a sack, two forcedfumbles and four fumble recoveries.
After the season Byrd announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the2009 NFL draft.[1]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+1⁄8 in (1.78 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m) | 10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.68 s | 1.53 s | 2.68 s | 4.10 s | 6.75 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) | 15 reps | 15[2] | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/OregonPro Day[3][4] | ||||||||||||
TheBuffalo Bills selected Byrd in the second round (42nd overall) of the2009 NFL draft. He was the third safety drafted in 2009, following andLouis Delmas (33rd overall) and Oregon teammatePatrick Chung (34th overall).[5]
On July 29, 2009, the Bills signed Byrd to a four–year, $4.15 million contract that includes $2.47 million guaranteed.[6][7] The Bills planned to have Byrd immediately compete againstBryan Scott for the role as the starting free safety. Unfortunately, Byrd underwentsports hernia surgery at the beginning of the summer and was placed on theNFI list.
He missed the first 18 days of training camp, the first two preseason games, and was unable to attend spring mini camp due to Oregon's late exam schedule.[8] Upon his return, Byrd competed againstKo Simpson andGeorge Wilson to be the primary backup safety. Head coachDick Jauron named him a backup and listed him as the No. 2 free safety on the depth chart, behind starting safetiesDonte Whitner and Bryan Scott.[9]
On September 14, 2009, Byrd made his professional regular season debut in theBuffalo Bills' season-opener at theNew England Patriots and recorded three solo tackles as they lost 24–25. In Week 3, Byrd earned his first career start as a nickelback and recorded five combined tackles (three solo) during a 7–27 loss at theNew Orleans Saints. During the game, both starting safeties would suffer injuries with Donte Whitner injuring his thumb and Bryan Scott suffering a high ankle sprain.[10][11] On October 11, 2009, Byrd set a season-high with seven combined tackles (four solo), made a pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass byDerek Anderson to wide receiverMohamed Massaquoi during a 3–6 loss to theCleveland Browns. The following week, he made three combined tackles (two solo), set a season-high with three pass deflections, and had his first multi-interception game by picking off two pass attempts byMark Sanchez during a 16–13 overtime victory at theNew York Jets in 6.[12]
In Week 7, he recorded two solo tackles, had two pass break-ups, and intercepted two passes thrown byJake Delhomme during a 20–9 victory at theCarolina Panthers.[13] For his performance in October, he earned the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month.[14] On November 1, 2009, Byrd made five combined tackles (two solo), two pass deflections, and had his third consecutive game with two interceptions on pass attempts byMatt Schaub as the Bills lost 31–10 to theHouston Texans.[15] This tied an NFL record held byDave Baker for consecutive games with two or more interceptions with three.[16] On November 17, 2009, the Bills fired head coach Dick Jauron after falling to a 3–6 record and appointed defensive coordinatorPerry Fewell to interim head coach for the remainder of the season. In Week 10, Byrd recorded two combined tackles (one solo), made one pass break-up, and intercepted a pass byVince Young to wide receiverLavelle Hawkins during a 17–41 loss at theTennessee Titans. This was his fifth straight game with an interception, setting the team record for consecutive games with an interception.[17] In Week 14, Byrd recorded four combined tackles (three solo), made a pass deflection, and sealed a 16-10 victory at theKansas City Chiefs by intercepting a pass byMatt Cassel to wide receiverChris Chambers with only 2:20 remaining in the game. This set his career-high with nine interceptions in a season. In Week 15, Byrd aggravated his groin injury as the Bills lost 17–10 to theNew England Patriots. On December 23, 2009, the Bills officially placed Byrd on season endinginjured reserve for the last two games (Weeks 16–17) of the season due to a tornlabrum related to his sports hernia surgery.[18] He underwent surgery on his torn labrum and was expected to have a recovery window of four months.[19][18] He finished his rookie season in2009 with a total of 45 combined tackles (33 solo), 11 pass deflections, and set a career-high with nine interceptions in 14 games and 11 starts.[20] His nine interceptions tied for theleague league in 2009, along withAsante Samuel,Charles Woodson, andDarren Sharper.[21][22] For his play, he was selected to play in thePro Bowl, becoming the first Bills rookie selected sinceGreg Bell in 1984.[23]
On January 19, 2010, theBuffalo Bills announcedChan Gailey as their new head coach.[24] Throughout training camp, he competed againstGeorge Wilson to be the starting free safety under defensive coordinatorGeorge Edwards.[25] Head coach Chan Gailey named Byrd a backup and listed him as the No. 2 free safety to begin the season, behind starters Donte Whitner and George Wilson.[26]
On November 28, 2010, he set a season-high with 11 combined tackles (seven solo), forced a fumble, and had a fumble recovery during a 16–19 overtime loss against thePittsburgh Steelers.[27] In Week 15, Byrd recorded four solo tackles and had his first career sack onChad Henne for a three–yard loss during a 17–14 win at theMiami Dolphins.[28] On January 2, 2011, Byrd recorded six combined tackles (four solo), made one pass deflection, and had his first career pick-six after he intercepted a passMark Brunell threw to running backJoe McKnight and returned it 37–yards to score his first career touchdown during a 7–38 loss at theNew York Jets. He finished with 89 combined tackles (62 solo), three forced fumbles, two pass deflections, one sack, a fumble recovery, one interception, and a touchdown in 16 games and 14 starts.[29]
He entered to training camp slated as thede facto starting free safety. Following the departure ofDonte Whitner in free agency, head coach Chan Gailey paired Byrd with George Wilson and named them the starting safeties to begin the season.[30]
On September 25, 2011, he set a season-high with 12 combined tackles (eight solo) and made two pass deflections as the Bills defeated theNew England Patriots 31–34.[31] In Week 8, Byrd made four combined tackles (three solo), one pass deflection, set a season-high with one sack, and intercepted a pass byJohn Beck to wide receiverDonte Stallworth as the Bills routed theWashington Redskins 23–0.[32] On December 24, 2011, Byrd recorded seven combined tackles (five solo), made a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byTim Tebow to wide receiverEric Decker and returned it for a 37–yard touchdown during a 40–14 win against theDenver Broncos.[33] He started in all 16 games throughout the2011 NFL season and finished with a total of 98 combined tackles (75 solo), eight pass deflections, three interceptions, one sack, and a touchdown.[29]
On January 2, 2012, theBuffalo Bills announced their decision to promote linebackers coachDave Wannstedt to defensive coordinator after the fired Chan Gailey following a 6–10 record in 2011. Head coach Chan Gailey retained Byrd and George Wilson as the starting safeties to begin the season.[34]
On September 16, 2012, Byrd made seven combined tackles (four solo), a pass break-up, and sealed the 35–17 victory over theKansas City Chiefs by intercepting a pass byMatt Cassel to wide receiverSteve Breaston with five seconds remaining. In Week 4, he set a season-high with nine combined tackles (four solo), made two forced fumbles, and had a fumble recovery as the Bills lost 28–52 against theNew England Patriots. On October 14, 2012, Byrd made four solo tackles, a pass deflection, and set a season-high with two interceptions during a 19–16 overtime victory at theArizona Cardinals.[35] He led the Bills to victory by intercepting a pass thrown byJohn Skelton to tight endRob Housler and returned it 29–yards before he was tackled by wide receiverMichael Floyd.[35] With the game tied 16–16 in overtime, the Bills would run one play to better position the ball and immediately sent inRian Lindell to successfully kick the 25–yard game-winning chip-shot field goal to end the game in overtime 19–16.[35] In Week 11, Byrd made four combined tackles (two solo), two pass break-up, recovered a fumble, and helped secure the Bills' 19–14 victory by intercepting a pass byRyan Tannehill to wide receiverDavone Bess with exactly two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.[36] On December 2, 2012, he recorded one solo tackle, had one pass deflection, and sealed a 18–34 win against theJacksonville Jaguars by intercepting a pass by Chad Henne to wide receiverKevin Elliott with 38 seconds remaining.[37] He started in all 16 games throughout the season and recorded 73 combined tackles (55 solo), made six pass deflections, five interceptions, four forced fumbles, and made two fumble recoveries.[29]
On March 1, 2013, theBuffalo Bills opted to place theirfranchise tag on Byrd in order for him to not enter free agency.[38] He refused to sign his tender and held out, seeking for a long-term contract offer from the Bills. On August 20, 2013, the Buffalo Bills signed Byrd to a fully-guaranteed one–year, $6.91 million franchise tender.[39] Despite signing the tender, it was reported that Byrd had requested a trade and was attempting to have his agent orchestrate a trade.[40] He denied the rumors and trade accusations and stated his sole focus was on his recovery fromplantar fasciitis. He remained inactive for the first five games (Weeks 1–5) of the season. In his absence, the Bills' new head coach,Doug Marrone, namedDa'Norris Searcy andAaron Williams the starting safeties to begin the season.
On November 17, 2013, Byrd made four combined tackles (two solo), two pass deflections, one sack, and set a season-high with two interceptions on passes byGeno Smith during a 37–14 victory against theNew York Jets.[41] In Week 13, he set a season-high with nine combined tackles (six solo) during a 31–34 loss at theAtlanta Falcons. He finished the season with a total of 38 combined tackles (27 solo,), six pass deflections, four interceptions, and one sack in 11 games and nine starts.[29] His tenure with the Bills ended they failed to reach an agreement on a long-term deal following the 2013 season.[42]
On March 11, 2014, theNew Orleans Saints signed Byrd to a six–year, $54.00 million contract that included $26.30 million guaranteed, $12.30 million guaranteed upon signing, and an initial signing bonus of $11.00 million.[43]
He entered training camp slated as thede facto starting strong free following the departures ofMalcolm Jenkins andRoman Harper. Head coachSean Payton named Byrd the starting free safety to begin the season and paired him withKenny Vaccaro.[44] On September 7, 2014, Byrd made his debut as a member of theNew Orleans Saints in their season-opener at theAtlanta Falcons and recorded five solo tackles as they lost in overtime 34–37. In Week 4, he set a season-high with seven combined tackles (six solo) and had one pass deflection during a 17–38 loss at theDallas Cowboys. On October 2, 2014, Byrd suffered a bucket-handlelateral meniscus tear to his right knee during practice.[45] On October 3, 2014, Saints' head coach Sean Payton announced that it had been confirmed that Byrd had torn his meniscus and subsequently placed him on injured reserve for the remaining 13 games of the season (Weeks 5–17).[46] He finished the2014 NFL season with only 22 combined tackles (17 solo) in four games and four starts.[29] On November 16, 2015, the Saints fired defensive coordinatorRob Ryan and appointed assistant coachDennis Allen to be their defensive coordinator.[47]
He returned in the spring and participated in OTAs and spring minicamp, but was sidelined before training camp started due to what Byrd described as an "unspecified" injury. ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder reported that he began experiencing swelling in his knee. The Saints did not draft or sign legitimate starting safeties during the off-season and chose to haveRafael Bush return as his replacement.[48] In Week 1, Rafael Bush tore his pectoral muscle during a 19-31 loss at theArizona Cardinals and was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
He returned in Week 4, but was limited to appearing as a backup behindKenny Phillips. On October 11, 2015, Byrd made his first start of the season and recorded three combined tackles (two solo) and made one pass break-up during a 17–39 loss at thePhiladelphia Eagles. On November 8, 2015, he set a season-high with ten combined tackles (seven solo) during a 28–34 overtime loss at theTennessee Titans. On November 29, 2015, Byrd made eight combined tackles (five solo), one pass deflection, and made his sole interception of the season on a pass thrown byBrian Hoyer to wide receiverCecil Shorts during a 6–24 loss at theHouston Texans.[49] He finished the2015 NFL season with a total of 53 combined tackles (37 solo), three pass deflections, one sack, and one interception in 13 games and 13 starts.[29]
During training camp, Byrd competed to retain his role as the starting free safety against rookie second-round pickVonn Bell. Head coachSean Payton named him the starting free safety to begin the season, alongside starting strong safetyKenny Vaccaro.[50][51]
In Week 3, Byrd recorded six combined tackles (four solo), but was responsible for giving up crucial plays due to an inability tackle. The Saints went on to lose 32–45 against theAtlanta Falcons. Head coach Sean Payton subsequently benched him in favor of rookie Vonn Bell as the Saints won 34–35 at theSan Diego Chargers. Beginning in Week 5, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen had Byrd appearing in three-safety sets. In Week 6, Byrd began appearing in three-safety sets full-time and fully transitioned into his new position alongside Vonn Bell and Kenny Vaccaro.[52] On October 30, 2016, he set a season-high with ten combined tackles (eight solo) as the Saints defeated theSeattle Seahawks 25–20.[53] On December 24, 2016, Byrd made six combined tackles (three solo), two pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions during a 31–24 victory against theTampa Bay Buccaneers. He helped secure the victory by intercepting a pass byJameis Winston to wide receiverRussell Shepard with only 8:13 in the fourth quarter.[54] He finished the2016 NFL season with 82 combined tackles (56 solo), three pass deflections, and two interceptions on 16 games and 15 starts.[29]
On March 10, 2017, Byrd was released by the Saints.[55]
On October 3, 2017, Byrd was signed by theCarolina Panthers.[56]
| Year | Team | GP | COMB | TOTAL | AST | SACK | FF | FR | FR YDS | INT | IR YDS | AVG IR | LNG | TD | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | BUF | 14 | 45 | 33 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 118 | 13 | 37 | 0 | 11 |
| 2010 | BUF | 16 | 89 | 62 | 27 | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 1 | 2 |
| 2011 | BUF | 16 | 98 | 75 | 23 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 88 | 29 | 37 | 1 | 8 |
| 2012 | BUF | 16 | 76 | 53 | 23 | 0.0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 81 | 16 | 45 | 0 | 6 |
| 2013 | BUF | 11 | 48 | 37 | 11 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 85 | 21 | 57 | 0 | 6 |
| 2014 | NO | 4 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2015 | NO | 13 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 3 |
| 2016 | NO | 16 | 82 | 56 | 26 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 17 | 24 | 0 | 3 |
| 2017 | CAR | 12 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 118 | 524 | 379 | 145 | 4.0 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 25 | 468 | 19 | 57 | 2 | 41 | |
His father,Gill Byrd, played in the National Football League for theSan Diego Chargers from 1983 to 1992, and was the defensive backs coach for theBuffalo Bills for the 2017-18 season. He is currently the passing game coordinator/safeties coach at the University of Illinois.[58]
Byrd is cousins withRichard Rodgers.[59] His uncle isRichard Rodgers Sr.
Byrd is aChristian.[60] He also sponsors two children throughCompassion International.[61]
