One of the key components that allowed the Titans to add a final major piece for this season was Kevin Byard’s change of heart about restructuring his pay for 2023.

The $3 million or so that Byard gave back to the team on this year’s cap, which he can make back through incentives and the structure of the deal, helped open enough cap space for Tennessee to bring in much-needed receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins agreed to a two-year, $25.5 million deal, and fits nicely under the cap in 2023. This comes just a few months after Byard had rejected a pay cut request by new general manager Ran Carthon.

“I’m really not about making this an emotional thing,” Byard says of the move. “I’m really about trying to make the best of the situation that I’m presented with. That’s what I’ve done my whole life. I’ve restructured the contract, and one thing I do know is that it definitely helps out the team a lot, and at the end of the day we’re trying to build a championship roster. I wouldn’t have done what I’ve done if I didn’t think we would have the opportunity to go win some ballgames.”

Byard and running back Derrick Henry are now the longest-tenured Titans, both having come from the 2016 draft. But Byard was already familiar with the area upon entering the NFL, having played at MTSU, and says his goals remain the same – to be a Titan his whole career and to win a Super Bowl with Tennessee.

“This is my legacy and I want to be here. I’m glad we were able to get it done,” he says. “It’s all about winning ballgames and you kind of understand it as you get older, the business side of football and being able to build a championship roster. That’s what it’s about here, winning ballgames.

“There’s times to be selfish, but at the end of the day, it’s about building a team, and I’m a team leader,” Byard continues. “I want to win first and foremost, and I want to help bring a championship to Nashville.”