The New Orleans Saints released safety Jarius Byrd with a post-June 1 designation, a source familiar with the transaction confirmed Friday morning.
The move, which was made Thursday, allows the Saints to spread the dead cap money over two seasons, while saving the Saints an estimated $7.8 million in cap space.
Byrd originally joined the Saints in 2014 on a six-year, $54 million deal and was due a base salary of $7.4 million in 2017.
He appeared in 33 games with 32 starts in three seasons, and totaled 82 tackles (56 solo), two interceptions and three passes defensed in 2016.