If there’s a market for a perfectly serviceable No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver, Tyler Boyd has yet to find it.
Boyd is an unrestricted free agent after playing eight seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals but is still looking for the right fit, with The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly reporting on April 2 that Boyd still has interest from the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers.
Boyd is from the Pittsburgh suburbs and went to college at the University of Pittsburgh and had interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers, although Kaboly reported the two sides are no longer in contact.
“I would say that it would be a long shot, at best, that the two sides come together,” Kaboly wrote. “From what I have been told, Boyd was extremely interested in Pittsburgh at the beginning of the free-agency process, but the offer wasn’t something he was comfortable with … I am pretty sure the ship with the Steelers has sailed.”
Tyler Boyd’s Consistency on Display Throughout Career
Boyd was drafted by the Bengals in the second round (No. 55 overall) in 2016 and over eight NFL seasons has 6,000 career receiving yards and 31 touchdowns.
He had back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards in 2018 and 2019 as Cincinnati went 8-24 in that stretch, including a 2-14 record in 2019.
Boyd signed a four-year, $43 million contract extension with the Bengals in 2019 that paid him over $8 million each of the last four seasons, including $8.9 million in 2023.
In that time, Boyd became Cincinnati’s third option at wide receiver behind 2021 first-round pick Ja’Marr Chase and 2020 second-round pick Tee Higgins as the two younger players became stars. Even as the third option, Boyd remained consistent, with at least 60 receptions and 650 receiving yards each of the last four years, including over 800 receiving yards in 2020 and 2021.
Which Teams Need Wide Receiver Help the Most?
The Chiefs have already spent big on a free-agent wide receiver with a one-year contract for Marquise Brown worth up to $11 million. The Dolphins re-signed wide receiver Braxton Berrios to a one-year, $3 million contract, but he’s more valuable as a return specialist than as a third wide receiver.
The Lions re-signed wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to a one-year contract even though he was a non-factor in 2023 with just five receptions for 58 yards in eight games after being acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
The 49ers are in stasis at wide receiver after talks with star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have reportedly stalled out. The Chargers probably need the most help out of all of Boyd’s reported suitors with their top two wide receivers headed to new teams — Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears and Mike Williams to the New York Jets.
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Bengals Free Agent Wide Receiver Still Looking for Home