Tyler Boyd believes Bengals can be unbeatable and wants to stick around to see it happen

Exactly one year ago, Tyler Boyd had just 95 yards on 12 catches on the tail end of a very disappointing sophomore season. Since then, he’s hauled in 79 catches for 1,068 yards and seven touchdowns.

Boyd has stayed healthy, grown into the receiver the Bengals needed him to be, and he’s done it all on an average salary of just over $1 million per year. That number could change this offseason.

This week, Boyd told Jay Morrison of The Athletic that he is “very open” to signing a contract extension with the Bengals this offseason.

“I’m very open for an extension,” Boyd said. “I definitely think about that at times because all the hard work and what I’ve done has showed why I should get paid... But at the end of the day, I’m here to play football and I want them to know that. It ain’t all about the money. I love to play the game. Yes, I want to get the money because I’m working my tail off.”

The work Boyd has been putting in has definitely been evident on the field. With A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert each suffering season-ending injuries, Boyd was called upon as the team’s No. 1 option in the passing game for a good portion of this season already and has finished just three games with less than 50 receiving yards. But Boyd would definitely rather being playing with guys like Green and Eifert as opposed to without them.

“I’m comfortable here,” he added. “I like it here. I like the guys that are here. I like the coaches. And I know we have the team to be great. We just have to keep everybody healthy and keep everybody rolling and just stay together. A lot of times there’s a lot of ups and downs, but if we can keep the train going straight, keep everything going straight, no stops or nothing, we can be unbeatable. We can be like the Chiefs in this league.”

Most players will say similar things, but Boyd knows this team was looking pretty lethal in the first month of the season when the roster remained healthy. Even when things fell apart, Boyd remained productive and has more than earned a new deal as soon as possible.

Boyd will be eligible for one when the new league year begins, and the Bengals would be silly to delay offering one to one of their best young players.