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The Bills have spent a lot of time talking about whether or not they need a new quarterback, so much that General Manager Buddy Nix got upset about Ryan Fitzpatrick questions during his own radio show.

Quarterback isn’t the only position on a football team, of course, and the Bills aren’t letting the Fitzpatrick decision get in the way of making sure they are well stocked elsewhere on the roster. James Walker of ESPN.com reports that the Bills have started talking about a contract extension with safety Jairus Byrd.

Per Walker, no deal is imminent. Byrd can become a free agent after this season so it makes sense that the Bills would try to lock him up before he can hit the open market. Byrd has made a strong impact on the Buffalo defense since they made him a second-round pick in the 2009 draft. Byrd led the league in interceptions as a rookie while making the Pro Bowl and has stayed at a similar level of play over the last three years as well.

If the Bills can’t work out a long-term deal with Byrd, he’d definitely be a candidate for the franchise tag. Safeties of his caliber would draw a lot of attention on the open market and the Bills would surely prefer Byrd didn’t wind up in another uniform in 2013 and beyond.