Kevin Byard has made a habit out of intercepting opposing quarterbacks. Since entering the NFL as a third-round draft pick in 2016, he has picked off 37 passes and twice led the league in interceptions.
A total of 28 different QBs fell victim to his ball-hawking skills, including some of the best in the league today. One prominent name, however, is missing: Aaron Rodgers.
On Sunday, Byard will have a chance to add the current Pittsburgh Steelers passer to the list. He is very much looking forward to doing
so.
“Definitely looking to get my first interception against Aaron Rodgers this week,” the 33-year-old explained at his locker on Wednesday. “But, no, I think it’s going to be fun, and really I just want to win. I don’t care if I don’t get an interception. If we just get some turnovers on defense, I’ll be more than happy. But it’s definitely something that’s on my mind.”
Despite Byard and Rodgers being among the most experienced players in the NFL right now, they only have crossed paths three times so far. All of those meetings came when the former was with the Titans and the latter with the Packers, and none of it included Byard getting his hands on a pass.
If this changes this week, Rodgers would be joining a list filled with prominent names.
“Got [Patrick] Mahomes. Got Josh Allen a couple of times. Dak Prescott a few times,” Byard recalled. “It’s countless, honestly. It’s almost too much to count at this point. But I would say those are probably the top two, Josh Allen and Mahomes. I think I got Lamar [Jackson] too, so I got a lot of guys.”
Byard added that he has each of the footballs he picked off lying around in his attic, even though he does not plan to change their whereabouts until after his retirement. Turning them into a leather chair was mentioned as one possible way to repurpose the balls.
How big that theoretical chair will end up being remains to be seen, and also if it will ultimately end up having that long-awaited connection to Aaron Rodgers.
