Tyler Boyd explains his preparation in final contract year with Cincinnati Bengals

As the Cincinnati Bengals took to the practice fields on Tuesday, the energy levels were heightened as Tyler Boyd joined the team for the first time this offseason.

Boyd, 28, is entering the final year of his four-year contract with the Bengals and opted to spend time with his family over the last month instead of returning to Cincinnati. The Bengals’ offseason program is voluntary, but most players report for it. Jonah Williams and Boyd were the only two starters not present to this point.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was surprised when he saw No. 83 take the practice field. He was given a heads-up Boyd would be returning but forgot until the moment he saw him.

“I had forgotten that today was the day he was coming back,” Taylor said of Boyd’s return. “I had been made aware last week and I think I talked to him last Thursday and then just forgot. I didn't check in on the receiver meeting this morning, so I didn't see him in there. He got on me quick.”

Tyler Boyd's future with the Bengals

Some questions surrounding Boyd’s future with the team surfaced with his absence.

The Bengals gave Boyd a four-year contract extension worth $43 million in 2019. The former second-round pick has played seven seasons with the Bengals.

Boyd is arguably the NFL’s best slot wide receiver. His impact on and off the field has been monumental and he’s a highly regarded player in the locker room.

But for every player in the NFL, there comes a time where the end of their tenure with a team is in sight. That time is now for Boyd in Cincinnati. The Bengals let the world know as much when they drafted slot wide receiver Charlie Jones in the fourth round of this year’s NFL draft.

Instead of focusing on what could happen after this season, Boyd is all-in on right now.

Cincinnati is Tyler Boyd's home for now

“This is my home for now,” Boyd said. “I'm not going to worry about the unexpected. I'm here to finish this year out and whatever happens, happens. But I know we have a very, very high chance of making the Super Bowl and even winning, and this is where I want to be. Whether I come up with a new deal or not. I got to just go out there and I'm gonna be me. I am very appreciative of them still wanting me to be around and knowing that they don't want to trade me and things like that.”

Despite getting older, Boyd is still playing at a high level. His absence after getting injured in the AFC championship loss to the Chiefs showed his value in Cincinnati’s offense. Boyd said he suffered a deep thigh bruise when he was catching a pass over the middle of the field. He tried to fight through it but couldn’t come back in.

It took Boyd a month to recover from the thigh injury and not being able to help his team win in that moment stays with him to this day. Boyd was quarterback Joe Burrow’s main target when he was in the game against the Chiefs.

“(The injury) bothered me the most because I hate to let my team down,” Boyd said. “To this day, I feel like if I would have played the rest of the game, I was the key factor. We would've won the game. The second quarter, I had two huge catches for 50 yards. I was getting more of the one-on-one matches, and I knew I had the better matchup to win. Me going down, it kind of eliminated the things we were trying to do. But at the end of the day, we trust every guy, and we just barely fell short.”

Tyler Boyd wants to remain with Cincinnati Bengals, teammates

Winning a championship and staying healthy to be able to do so is Boyd’s main goal moving forward. Boyd wants to stay in Cincinnati after this season but understands it might be out of his control.

The Bengals will have a tough decision to make after the season regarding Boyd’s future. Boyd wants to continue to play with Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase and Burrow, but there’s only so much money to go around.

When asked if he would be willing to take less money to stay in Cincinnati if it was on the table, Boyd suggested he would like to play his whole career with one team because of his comfort level. But at the same time, he also acknowledged the financial part of things being important to him.

“I know I'm going to be a free agent next year and at the end of the day it will come down to money,” Boyd said on Tuesday. “I have a great strong feeling that they will come with an offer to where it's still going to be tough for me to leave because this is my family. I spent my whole career here, I built relationships with every guy in this locker room and having to just go be a part of another team, not to say that it wouldn't be great, but I got to relearn everything, the system, I got to meet all new guys and kind of start from scratch. That's not something I'm afraid of or anything, but the comfortability level kind of changes when you bounce around." 

Cincinnati’s front office is currently in the middle of contract negotiations with Burrow and Higgins. Next offseason, Chase will be eligible for a new deal. It’s highly unlikely the team will be able to keep all three wide receivers on the roster past this season. This is where the selection of Jones comes into play.

Tyler Boyd one of the tough decisions Bengals have to make about future

The Bengals know they are going to have to make tough decisions and losing Boyd would be significant.

But regardless of what the future holds, Boyd believes the team he is on right now can win a Super Bowl. The focus for Cincinnati’s offense this season is to score more points and Boyd believes that could be key to winning Super Bowl 58.

“I think we want to work on just starting fast every game, jumping out on teams, putting the pressure on them, because we still believe that we have the best offense, the most explosive offense.” Boyd said.  “But it's easier said than done. We've got to go out there and show it. But that's our main goal, going out there and score 30, 35, 40 a game."