NFL teams are legally allowed to contact player agents this weekend in advance of the start of free agency, on Tuesday at 4PM ET. That means that Eugene Parker, agent to Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd, likely spent a lot of time on the phone on Saturday.
One of the teams that called Parker about Byrd? The St. Louis Rams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The #Rams were among the teams that inquired today on #Bills S Jairus Byrd, per source. That was a bit unexpected and interesting.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2014
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher recently named Gregg Williams the team's new defensive coordinator. St. Louis already has one of the league's most feared pass rushers in Robert Quinn (19 sacks), and two excellent young linebackers in James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree, but they lack a true playmaker in their secondary. Byrd would serve to bring that defense up to a more relevant status in a division that already features two annual Super Bowl contenders in San Francisco and Seattle. Rams fans seem smitten by the possibility.
This is only the beginning for Byrd, who will likely have several teams competing for his services - including the Bills, who say that they allowed Byrd to hit the open market in an effort to more amicably negotiate with him. Unless they plan on upping their offer one last time, Buffalo should probably start planning on finding a replacement for Byrd.
Other teams expected to make a play for Byrd in free agency include, but are not limited to, the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles.