Getty Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd has been linked to the Kansas City Chiefs in NFL free agency, among others.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been connected to a few different wide receivers during the first wave of NFL free agency, including former Matt Nagy disciple Darnell Mooney and veteran trade candidate Diontae Johnson.
Mooney and Johnson have since headed to other teams, but a new veteran option emerged on the morning of March 14 — ex-Cincinnati Bengals slot receiver Tyler Boyd. The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly linked Boyd to the Chiefs on Thursday while discussing him as a candidate for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the franchise Kaboly has covered since 2002.
“Biggest hurdle in Tyler Boyd to Steelers conversation are the Chiefs with [a] dark horse being the [New York] Jets,” Kaboly reported.
Kansas City fans know Boyd well from their recent rivalry with the Bengals. Consistency is the name of the 29-year-old’s game, as he has appeared in 127 games since entering the league in 2016 with nearly 6,200 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air if you incorporate playoff impact.
Boyd’s prime was from 2018 through 2019, where he achieved back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns for Cincinnati. And although he’s taken a backseat to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in recent years, Boyd is still a very underrated professional in his own right.
Potential Chiefs WR Target Tyler Boyd Projected to Earn $10 Million in Guarantees in NFL Free Agency
Ahead of free agency, Pro Football Focus released a preview ranking every available veteran around the league. Within the wide receiver position, Boyd ranked ninth among fellow free agents. He also ranked 76th overall.
PFF projected each contract and market value in this preview, estimating that Boyd would earn $16.5 million over two years with $10 million in guaranteed money. That average annual salary would equate to $8.25 million — which is within the Chiefs’ budget after the Patrick Mahomes restructure.
“It will be fascinating to see if and how Cincinnati attempts to keep the elite trio of Ja’Marr Chase, fellow free agent Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd together in 2024 and beyond, but Boyd could be the odd man out looking for a third contract after playing out the term of his four-year extension signed in 2020,” PFF detailed at the time.
“Boyd is a big slot receiver with solid blocking chops in the run game,” they went on. “He rarely ever drops a target and does well to sit down in soft spots of zones on key passing downs.”
PFF did add the disclaimer that “Boyd posted several career-low marks in 2023” before noting that the Bengals could lose him to “other teams looking to upgrade their unit over the middle.”
With possession receivers Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Richie James all struggling in 2023, Boyd feels like a strong fit for KC as they begin their climb toward a three-peat. The reliable pass-catcher has averaged 50.0 yards per game over the course of his regular season career, but his most enticing trait of all might be his 68.1% catch rate at the NFL level.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ Contract Continues to Move Mountains for KC
As expected, the Chiefs restructured Mahomes’ contract once again in 2024, freeing up $21.6 million on March 12 according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor and Dianna Russini provided more on this story on March 12, informing: “The Chiefs converted $27 million of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract to create $21.6 million worth of salary-cap space, a team source told The Athletic.”
Continuing: “The structure of Mahomes’ contract — the longest in the sport at 10 years — was designed for this exact move. By converting this amount of the roster bonus in Mahomes’ contract into a signing bonus, the Chiefs should now be able to address two of their biggest needs: a veteran receiver and a veteran left tackle to protect Mahomes’ blind side.”
Taylor and Russini also reminded that KC orchestrated a similar restructure in 2023, creating “$9.6 million in salary-cap space by converting $12 million of Mahomes’ $34.4 million roster bonus into a signing bonus.”
As you can see, the two-time NFL MVP quarterback’s contract continues to move mountains for this budding Kansas City dynasty.