The Cincinnati Bengals’ veteran playmaker must be re-signed.

With all of the off-season uncertainty swirling around Cincinnati, there is one thing they must do: Tyler Boyd should be re-signed.

In Cincinnati, many important decisions will have to be taken. The wide receiver room has the potential to remain the same for another year or to drastically change. Ja’Marr Chase will receive his money, and Tee Higgins will almost certainly get tagged, but the third member of the trio has slipped under the radar in terms of re-signing talks. Tyler Boyd should be brought back by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tyler Boyd, the Bengals’ undisputed leader, should be brought back in 2024.

Over the previous eight years, few players have epitomized what it means to be a Cincinnati Bengal more than Boyd. Boyd was picked in the second round out of Pitt in the 2016 NFL Draft and hasn’t missed a single game since. He’s been a receiver room leader while playing with all-time Bengals greats like A.J. Green, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase.

Boyd remained with the Bengals despite some of the team’s worst seasons since the start of the Marvin Lewis era. The Bengals finished 19-28-1 in his first three years in Cincinnati and were about as uninspired as they could be. However, the team recognized his importance and signed him to a four-year, $43 million agreement that will expire this year. That next year, Zac Taylor arrived and made certain he had his best receiver opposite Green. In retrospect, Green was on the decline as a result of missing the entire 2019 season. Without Boyd, the team’s record in 2019 would have been considerably worse than 2-15.

Boyd advanced as a leader during the season. He is frequently reported as saying that he despises losing, therefore he had to pick up not only his teammates as the Bengals lost week after week, but also himself. Then, once the Bengals acquired a pair of youthful, energetic, WR1-type players in Higgins and Chase, he became the grizzled veteran.

Despite the fact that Charlie Jones was drafted as the projected heir, retaining Boyd in the receiver room would be beneficial. Whether or not Higgins is on the Bengals’ 2024 roster, Boyd’s contract should be extended. What if Higgins is no longer there? It would be considerably more critical.