As the new league year in the NFL completes its first full week, there are still a number of players with vast NFL experience and plenty left to offer teams still unsigned.
One of those players who continues to generate a ton of attention, at least in and around Pittsburgh, is free agent wide receiver Tyler Boyd.
Boyd, a Pittsburgh-area native who starred at Clairton High School before going on to stand out at the University of Pittsburgh, reportedly has interest in coming home. There are reports that the Steelers also have interest in Boyd. However, nothing has happened just yet, and according to Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo of the Post-Gazette, the holdup is likely about money.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show Wednesday, Fittipaldo stated that the Steelers likely don’t want to be in the business of paying a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver $8-$9 million annually.
“I would think [the] hangup with the Boyd situation is likely money. Tyler Boyd’s coming off a $44 million contract over four years, so he was making some nice change, and I think the Steelers view, not just Boyd, but I think the Steelers view any of these current wide receiver free agents as number threes and not number twos,” Fittipaldo said, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “And I just don’t think they wanna pay eight million, nine million a year for a guy who’s gonna be a number three. I mean, they paid their number three last year right around the vet minimum, Allen Robinson [II]. And I’m not saying they’re always gonna pay their number three like that, but they’re not gonna want to pay that much for a guy who’s not gonna have a big role on the team.
“So I don’t know what the solution’s gonna be. We saw Mike Williams go off the board last night, but I do think if they can come to an agreement on a number three receiver’s contract that it could get done. But I’m not convinced that that’s gonna happen anytime soon.”
The Steelers were able to restructure Robinson’s contract last season after acquiring him from the Los Angeles Rams last April via trade. Robinson’s base salary was $1.165 million last season, which was the NFL minimum for his credited seasons in the NFL. As part of that trade with the Rams, the Steelers agreed to pay $5 million of Robinson’s 2023 salary that was due to him. The Steelers gave Robinson $3.835 million of that, transferring $5 million due to him in 2023 in the form of a signing bonus after he arrived and prorating that over just two years, leading to Robinson’s 2023 salary cap charge being just $3.0825 million.
It’s important to note though that the Steelers largely feeling comfortable paying a No. 3 receiver that type of minuscule money in the grand scheme of things was because they had a high-priced receiver already on the roster in Diontae Johnson.
Johnson is gone now, and the Steelers are spending relatively little at the receiver position with George Pickens and Calvin Austin III still on rookie deals.
Still, the Steelers aren’t going to throw money around just to fill a need.
Boyd is 30 years old and is coming off a down season. Boyd recorded 67 receptions for 667 yards and two touchdowns, averaging the lowest yards per reception of his career with 10.0. According to Pro Football Focus, Boyd had a career-worst 59.5 grade last season and was charged with three drops, his most since 2019.
He still remains a good player overall, but already on the wrong side of 30 and in a bit of a decline, Boyd might not have a ton of leverage in asking for $8 or $9 million on the open market, even with the spike in the salary cap. However, PFF projected a two-year, $16.5 million deal in free agency for Boyd with $10 million guaranteed.
That seems a bit pricey, and that might be right around what Boyd is asking. We’ll see if things get done, but as The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly reported last week, some within the Steelers’ organization might not be 100% on board with signing Boyd.
