Dec 24, 2011; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills free safety Jairus Byrd (31) intercepts a pass from Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (not pictured) and runs it back for a touchdown during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

As the Bills continue to check off what they wanted to accomplish this offseason so far it looks good but with questions. It started with a new coaching staff, a potential franchise quarterback in EJ Manuel, addressing the wide receiver and linebacker position and most recently a change coming to the GM spot. The question I have is why aren’t they taking this Jairus Byrd situation a little more seriously?

When you take a look at his time with this team you have to be impressed. Basically on a bad/mediocre defense his whole career here he has shown to be one of the only bright spots. He has always put up the numbers and played to the level of the top safeties in the league. In the 4 seasons he has been a part of this organization he has put up numbers like this: 62 games played, 223 total tackles, 10 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 18 int’s and 2 td’s. Those are some pretty good numbers considering this team’s defense.

With that being said I just don’t have any idea as to why this team hasn’t made his contract a priority? On top of that this team went on to draft 2 guys in the draft and one could perhaps take over the position. Duke Williams of Nevada and Jonathan Meeks of Clemson were taken in the 4th and 5th round respectively. They have been looked at highly since they came to town and leave us wondering if one of them will be Byrd’s successor.

So when the Bills make their decision it will be interesting to hear what they have to say. Two ways I see it happening is “well we just didn’t think we could come to terms and wanted to go in a different direction” or “we knew Byrd would be returning and wanted to take care of other things first”. I just hope money is not the issue here. I know people are going to always say that’s the issue but in certain cases you just pay the player. This guy is the real deal and can help this defense for years to come.

Nov. 15, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills free safety Jairus Byrd (31) runs the ball after a fumble recovery against the Miami Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

According to reports, the Bills are planning on negotiating with safety Jairus Byrd this week at the combine. If talks go south, Buffalo has one real option. They must place the franchise tag on Byrd.

This is a team that has already released many veterans on the defensive unit, including fellow starting safety George Wilson. Byrd has turned into one of this team’s best leaders, and there need to be some of those on a transitioning defense next season. If Byrd is let go, there is a huge, massive, gaping (you get the severity?) whole at safety. For a team that already wasn’t great against the pass, that would not be a good move.

The rest of the Bills secondary is very young, including Stephon Gilmore and Aaron Williams at cornerback as Da’Norris Searcy and Ron Brooks at safety. Gilmore may have shown promise last season, but you don’t want to leave a second year player to make up for other players mishaps.

Most importantly though, Byrd is simply one of the best players on the team right now. You just can’t let that sort of talent walk away, especially if you think you’re as close as the Bills claim to think they are. This team has let talent walk away before, but they just can’t afford to right now. I get you Bills, use the tag.