When the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Cincinnati Bengals this season they’ll once again be tasked with defending their two top wide receivers, A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. And on Tuesday, the Bengals locked up Boyd for several more years to come as they have now signed him to a four-year, $43 million contract extension, according to multiple online reports.
Boyd, who payed his college football at the University of Pittsburgh after an outstanding career at Clairton High School in Clairton, Pennsylvania, was originally selected by the Bengals in the second-round of the 2016 NFL Draft. In his first three seasons in the NFL wit the Bengals, Boyd has registered 152 total receptions for 1,856 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last season he had career-high receiving stats as he caught 76 passes for 1,028 yards and 7 touchdowns.
In the 4 career games that Boyd has played in against the Steelers to date, he’s registered 17 receptions for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns, of which both came during the first two meetings between the team last season.
With Boyd now locked up long-term by the Bengals it will be interesting to see if Green also gets an extension prior to the start of the regular season. Green is now in the final year of the four year, $60 million contract extension he signed with the Bengals in September of 2015. His $15 million new money average resulting from that last contract extension still has him ranked as the ninth highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. Green, who will turn 31 at the end of July, only played in 9 games for the Bengals last season due to a toe injury.
The Steelers first of two 2019 games against the Bengals will take place in Pittsburgh in Week 4 and on a Monday night. The rematch won’t happen until Week 12 and that game will take place in Cincinnati. The Bengals have a new head coach this year in Zac Taylor, who was hired during the offseason to replace Marvin Lewis after he was fired. Taylor was previously the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams.
