Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd isn’t a cut or trade candidate by any means this offseason.
Even so, he’s well aware of the possibilities this offseason and beyond as the Cincinnati front office faces the challenge of extending Joe Burrow and possibly finding ways to get extensions done for fellow wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
“We’ll see what they want to do with me, but I know I’m still entitled for a year,” Boyd said, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. “I’m not counting my chances of not being here out. You never know.”
Technically on paper, the Bengals would save roughly $8.9 million in cap space by cutting Boyd. That’s not going to happen, but he’s clearly aware of the situation that suggests the team won’t be able to keep a trio of massive cap hits at wideout around the league’s highest-paid quarterback.
There’s an urgency in Cincinnati to get Burrow’s extension done soon. And Higgins is now eligible for an extension and says he wants to be in town long-term. Chase, eligible a little longer down the road, has talked about keeping everyone together.
More likely the Bengals eyeball names like Joe Mixon and La’el Collins as cut candidates if they desperately need more cap space. With a huge list of free agents headed to the open market, they might just do that.
When it comes to Boyd, the Bengals might have to consider whether they want to re-up his contract after the 2023 season, his last on the books for now. That’ll expire potentially after an extension for Higgins and before one for Chase.
For now, though, Boyd’s at least taking a realistic approach to the outlook.
