Saints Safety Jairus Byrd Undergoes Back Surgery

Less than two months after signing a $56 million deal with the New Orleans Saints, safety Jairus Byrd underwent back surgery today, according to the Times-Picayune.

Byrd was absent from  OTA's (Organized Team Activities) this morning. It marked the third Saints OTA session of the offseason, but the first open to the media.

His head coach Sean Payton didn't seem concerned, explaining that Byrd's procedure won't keep him off the practice field for very long.

"He's having a surgical procedure on his back for a disc," Payton announced to the media in attendance today. "It's been asymptomatic but it's something we wanted to do and he as well, to alleviate any issues coming in the fall...For this next week, he won't be at these OTAs, he'll be going through his rehab."

Byrd is expected to be 100% by training camp in July. Had the issue occurred during the regular season, Byrd would undergo other treatment to ease the pain, and not go under the knife.

New Orleans better hope this isn't a lingering issue. Investing a 6 year, $56 million contract ($28 million guaranteed) into an injury prone player is bad for business. If all goes as planned, Byrd's procedure will help him stay on the field for all of 2014 and beyond.