Buffalo Bills, Jairus Byrd unable to reach long-term deal

The deadline has come and gone for Jairus Byrd to sign a long-term deal to stay a member of the Buffalo Bills. As of 4 PM ET, Byrd cannot sign a deal longer than one year. He can choose to sign his $6.916 million franchise tender or work out an agreement with the team on different terms for the upcoming season.

Byrd can still choose to hold out of training camp and pre-season action if the 26-year-old wants to attempt to force Buffalo's hand on the negotiating front. He could try to negotiate a no-tag clause in a one-year deal, but the Bills wouldn't be likely to agree to that.

The team released a statement from general manager Doug Whaley following the expiration of the negotiating window:

"We worked very hard to come to a long-term agreement with Jairus, but unfortunately were unable to reach one before today’s deadline," said Whaley on the team's website. "Our attention will now be focused on a one-year agreement with him and on training camp with our continued efforts to prepare our team for the upcoming season."

Only Denver's Ryan Clady signed a long-term deal after eight NFL players were tagged this off-season. According to Nick Mendola of the Associated Press, the Bills and Byrd didn't talk on Monday.