As exciting as the Chicago Bears' defense was, at certain points last year, there was a common misconception made by some. The misonception came when looking at the takeaways, only, rather than the big picture.
Now, a big part of the takeaway picture was veteran safety Kevin Byard. His league-leading seven interceptions earned him both an All-Pro First Team selection as well as a Pro Bowl nod. But, his contract is now up, and the Bears have a choice to make.
In his latest Top 100 Free Agents piece, FOX Sports' Greg Auman spotlighted Byard as his 44th-ranked free agent for this offseason, accompanied with a potential price tag:
"He went to Chicago on a two-year, $15 million deal and probably will get a bit less than that on age."
When the Bears signed Byard two years ago, the deal seemed like a pretty fair one. Now, if he's only going to get either similar or less money, annually, a very tough decision is ahead.
Ryan Poles faces a difficult road ahead as Kevin Byard, others hit free agency
One of the bigger storylines for the Bears, in terms of free agency this year, comes straight out of that defensive back room. It's not just Byard. The Bears are also going to have to make decisions on fellow starting safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerbacks Nahshon Wright and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
That makes four notable defensive backs the Bears have hitting free agency this year. Poles won't wind up re-signing all of them, in all likelihood, and it makes sense to bring one of the two safeties back.
If it's either Byard or Brisker, the price tag on Byard seems far more compelling. Sure, Brisker is younger, but his history of injuries is concerning.
Byard, meanwhile, proved he can still play at a high level even at the age of 32. If the Bears go out and retool their defensive line while adding another strong starter next to Byard, he could continue to play at a similar level. The ball skills and leadership are too hard to let go of at this point.
And again, the price screams 'value.'
Should Poles be able to get Byard back on another two-year deal, and this time maybe at $12 million, that's a no-brainer. Byard might even take a little less from Chicago just to run it back rather than accept the loftier deal elsewhere.
He's been a huge part of the culture shift and Chicago should absolutely want him back.
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Age is a factor, as is the potential of re-signing some of the other free agent defensive backs in that room. But, out of all of them, I would argue Byard is the most important. Poles needs to make the right call, here.