On Wednesday, less than two hours before the official start of the NFL free agency, the Patriots reportedly took a big one-year swing on a former All-Pro.
According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, three-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard is heading to New England on a one-year, $9 million deal, adding a respected veteran presence to a position group that had an under-the-radar need for more help this offseason.
A 10-year NFL veteran, Byard’s best years were spent on the back end of the Titans secondary (2016-23), with six of those seasons being paired with his new head coach in Mike Vrabel (2018-23). In the middle of the 2023 season, Byard was traded to the Eagles for a fifth and sixth round draft pick, where he played out the rest of that season. Ahead of the 2024 season, Byard signed a two-year deal with the Bears worth $15 million. Chicago got a resurgent season out of Byard in 2025, which led to his most recent All-Pro selection at age 32.
His age 33 season will be his 11th year as a pro, and he will reunite with the head coach that helped make him one of the best players at his position in all of football. And with safety Jaylinn Hawkins reportedly signing with the Ravens for two years at $10 million, it’s safe to say Byard will be paired with now second-year safety Craig Woodson on the back end of New England’s defense in 2026.
Outside of being one of the hardest hitting players in the NFL, Byard is also an underrated iron man, having not missed a single game due to injury throughout the first 10 years of his career. He missed one game during the 2023 season, needing a week to adjust after being traded from Tennessee to Philadelphia.
Byard led the NFL in interceptions in 2025 with 7, bringing his all-time career total up to 36 overall. That’s the second-highest total for an active player behind Harrison Smith at 39. He has 972 career tackles (655 solo), and 24 tackles for loss. He has 81 career pass breakups and 21 QB hits, according to Pro Football Reference.
A hat tip to The Boston Herald’s Zack Cox, who shared on X a quote from Vrabel on Byard, comparing his personality to tight end Hunter Henry’s last summer.
"[Henry is] a very comfortable player," Vrabel said before a training camp practice. Very similar to Kevin Byard. And you know I'm not big on comparisons, just talking about personalities. Kevin was really confident and comfortable. He never looked stressed.
“You would look and see some younger players maybe at the same position and they'd be sweating before the play would start. They were making checks and everything else and running. And Kevin just always had a very calm, confident demeanor and was an excellent
player for us.”
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