How Kevin Byard’s new record-setting 5-year, $70.5M deal impacts Malcolm Jenkins

Malcolm Jenkins didn’t get the good news he was looking for on Wednesday night, but one of his contemporaries just got paid, and that should have the agent of the Eagles safety smiling tonight. The Tennessee Titans just signed star safety, Kevin Byard to a five-year, $70.5 million deal, with over $30 million guaranteed.

Titans and S Kevin Byard reached agreement on a 5-year, $70.5 million agreement that includes $31 million in guarantees, per source. Byard – who has the same agent (@DavidMulugheta) as Landon Collins and Earl Thomas, now is the highest paid safety in NFL history.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 25, 2019

Byard, 25, was a third-round pick out of Middle Tennessee State in 2016 and has made one Pro Bowl and one All-Pro team in his three NFL seasons. The raise is significant, as Byard was set to make $2 million this season.

Byard led the Titans in defensive snaps with 1,043 in 2018. Compare that to Jenkins who played nearly the same amount of snaps for the Eagles, while playing every snap on defense. Byard racked up 90 tackles last season, three for a loss, two sacks and eight passes defended. Byard and Jenkins are both top-ten safeties although the Titans star is only 25 years old.

According to Over The Cap, Jenkins is slowly creeping out of the top-10 highest-paid safeties in the league and that was the reasoning for him skipping OTAs.

Jenkins is looking for a new deal, with two years left on his current deal.