Jairus Byrd is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career and says he likes the stability provided by Chip Kelly and the Eagles.
Jairus Byrd and the Eagles seem like a match made in free agent heaven.
The Eagles have been in search of a safety to fill the void left by Brian Dawkins for the better part of five years and enter this offseason with approximately $26 million to spend in a market headlined by two of the premier safeties in the league in the form of Byrd and TJ Ward.
Dawkins may actually play a role in Howie Roseman lassoing Byrd as early as next week.
Byrd was scheduled to hold a live online chat with ESPN's Sports Nation this morning, but was delayed due to "having a chat with Brian Dawkins."
While it's wildy speculative to suggest that Dawkins and Byrd were discussing what it's like to play in Philadelphia, given the fact that Chip Kelly (who was Oregon's offensive coordinator during Byrd's collegiate career there) is the Birds head coach and one of the Eagles most iconic figures, the notion cannot be completely dismissed.
Legal tampering begins this weekend in advance of the market opening on Tuesday March 11th, but it appears the Eagles are already on Byrd's short list of potential destinations.
"Oh, I’m familiar with Coach [Chip] Kelly and I know they're headed in the right direction," he said on SportsCenter Tuesday when asked about his future by Hannah Storm. "They made the playoffs last year. So like I said, there’s a lot that still has to go on, but obviously those are two great coaches [Kelly and Mike Pettine] and they look forward to doing big things this year."
Pettine, his defensive coordinator last year in Buffalo, is now the Browns' head coach. And Cleveland opted not to franchise T.J. Ward, which could make the Browns an intriguing possible destination.
Later in his online chat Byrd reitterated his support of Kelly.
"I think he's doing great things," Byrd said of the Eagles second-year head coach. "Any time you can come in and take your team to the playoffs in the first year, that's great. I think they're headed in the right direction."
