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Safety Jairus Byrd hasn't heard from the Browns yet.

(AP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The first day of the free agency negotiating period came and went without the Browns inquiring about Bills safety Jairus Byrd, one of the hottest commodities on the market, a league source told cleveland.com.

Teams were permitted to start negotiating with the agents of unrestricted free agents Saturday at noon, but as of Sunday at 12:45 p.m., the Browns had not yet reached out to Byrd.

It's been widely assumed that the Browns would be hot after the three-time Pro Bowler, because he played for coach Mike Pettine last year in Buffalo.

It doesn't mean the Browns won't join the Byrd sweepstakes -- just that they haven't yet. The Rams are one team that has inquired about Byrd, according to nfl.com.

Byrd is still believed to be interested in returning to Buffalo, who offered him a deal last week that included $30 million over the first three years of the contract, according to the Associated Press.

Byrd, who was franchised by the Bills last year at $6.9 million, held out until late August in protest of the tag. He then missed the first five games of the season because of plantar fasciitis in both feet.

But he was still voted to the Pro Bowl for the third time after leading the team with four interceptions. Overall, Byrd has 22 interceptions -- including a league-leading nine as a rookie -- and 11 forced fumbles in 73 games over his five seasons.

Byrd, 27, was a second-round pick of the Bills in 2009 out of Oregon, where he played for Eagles coach Chip Kelly. Browns safety T.J. Ward, the Browns' second-round pick out of Oregon in 2010, also played for Kelly.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions inquired about Ward on Saturday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Lions released hard-hitting safety Louis Delmas and are looking to replace him. The problem is, the Lions are cash-strapped (about $10 million in cap space) and would most likely need to restructure Ndamukong Suh's contract to be able to afford Ward, who figures to make upwards of $8 million a year. Suh's cap number for 2014 is about $22 million.

In other free agency news, Packers cornerback Sam Shields, whom some thought the Browns might pursue, re-signed with Green Bay on Saturday, a four-year deal worth $39 million, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Teams can continue to negotiate with free agents but not actually sign them until 4 p.m. Tuesday.