Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd plans to skip the team's upcoming mandatory minicamp unless he is offered a new contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The minicamp is set to begin Tuesday.
Byrd is scheduled to make $6.9 million in 2013 and become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. Buffalo is relatively deep at the safety position, but Brian Galliford at Buffalo Rumblings, SB Nation's Bills blog, says that fact shouldn't tempt the team to test Byrd's patience. At 26 years old, he's the Bills' best safety and needs to be on the field.
Byrd was Buffalo's second-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and he's been one of the NFL's best safeties ever since. In 2012, he compiled 76 tackles, six pass breakups, five interceptions and five tackles for loss. Over the course of his career, he's totaled 308 tackles -- 10 for loss -- 27 pass breakups and 18 interceptions.
The five-year veteran has played in two Pro Bowls and led the AFC in picks twice.
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