A few days before the start of the team's first voluntary OTA session, the gap between the two sides might have a little bit of a clearer picture. By no means is this an official report, but the comments made by one former player on The John Murphy Show (which airs on WGR 550 nightly from 7-9) suggest that Byrd and the Bills are $2 million apart at this point in time.
Mark Kelso, the former Bills safety and current color analyst of the team's official radio broadcast, made a plea to Murphy about Byrd during his guest appearance.
"I got a comment on Jairus Byrd: sign the dang contract and get in to camp," Kelso started. "He's the leader on the defense, you've got to be leader on the defense or the defense is going nowhere. So sign a contract and get in to camp. I mean we're talking… we're quibbling over $2 million here. I mean I know $2 million is a lot of money but not when you're making $6 [million] or $7 [million]."
Later on during his segment, the former Bills safety went on about the current Bills safety.
"It's unfortunate. It is what it is though," Kelso remarked. "Honestly, I had the conversation with him. 'What's the difference between $7 million and $9 million?' Two million, I realize that. I'm smarter than a fifth grader but in the realm of professional sports, I think there are a lot of things more important than that $2 million."
Again, to be clear, this is not an official report of the exact standing between Byrd and the Bills, but it might be a look in to what could be holding things up. Long-term deals for franchised players can only be negotiatied through July 15. If he signs his franchise tag, he'll be due $6.916 million this upcoming season.
Byrd will be entering his fifth year in the NFL after making the Pro Bowl twice through his first four. He has yet to show up to any offseason workouts in 2013.
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