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It was only three years ago that the New Orleans Saints signed former Buffalo Bills star Jairus Byrd -- our top available free agent at the time -- to a monster six-year, $56 million contract that contained $26 million in guarantees. The Saints, then as now, badly needed an influx of top defensive talent; so it made sense that they’d try to go after Byrd. However, it was also clear at the time that the Saints couldn’t really afford the deal under the cap and would have to do some creative math to fit him on their books. Expecting star-caliber play, they did just that. 

But the Saints did not get star-caliber play from Byrd. Instead, they got a player that was alternately injured and ineffective during his three seasons in New Orleans. He suited up for only 33 of a possible 48 games, and the New Orleans pass defense not only didn’t improve but somehow got worse with him patrolling the back end. 

And now that it is even remotely in their financial interests, the Saints are preparing to cut ties with their former star acquisition, according to a report from NFL Network. 

Releasing Byrd will create a dead money charge of $8 million on New Orleans’ books for the 2017 season, per Spotrac, but that’s something they apparently view as preferable to having him on the books for approximately $11.7 million. They have Kenny Vaccaro and Vonn Bell still on the roster at safety, but will presumably try to find another player to rotate in with those two. 

As for Byrd, he should be able to find a make-good deal elsewhere on the free-agent market. He’s still only 30 years old and probably has some years left in his legs. If he can bounce back with a better campaign in 2017, he might be able to get one more long-term contract the following season.