2024 Bears Free Agent Target: Tyler Boyd |
Particularly given the odds of Chicago drafting quarterback Caleb Williams, it seems incredibly likely that the Bears will pick up at least one wide receiver from free agency. Boyd is one of the best options currently set to be available in free agency.
Boyd is a player that would be a wide receiver No. 2 anywhere except the Cincinnati Bengals where he was behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. He probably got a little less looks because of that, particularly given Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow’s chemistry with Chase dating back to college. Still, Boyd played in every game this past season and had a total of 67 receptions for 667 yards and two touchdowns. Typically, he has more receiving touchdowns than that as he had at least four touchdown receptions each season from 2018 to 2022. His catch percentage is also consistently above 60 percent. If the Bears are going to draft a quarterback and trade Justin Fields, it is paramount they build a strong receiving core around that quarterback. This is especially true because drafting Williams, or trading down to No. 3 to acquire Drake Maye from North Carolina or Jayden Daniels from LSU would prevent Chicago from drafting receiver Marvin Harrison Jr, undoubtedly the best receiver in the draft. They also most likely would not be able to acquire Rome Odunze from Washington or Malik Nabers from LSU at the No. 9 pick. Further, Chicago would most likely prefer to use this pick on an offensive lineman, specifically with the release of guard Cody Whitehair. Even if Chicago decides to keep quarterback Justin Fields, giving him another target would be a good idea. While receiver DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet performed quite well this season, putting another playmaker with this combination would further bolster the offense and potentially allow Fields to develop in the way Bears fans always hoped that he would. Such a transaction would be impossible if Chicago is not willing to pay Boyd. However, that should not be a problem since with his last contract, Boyd was making under $9 million for the past four seasons. Based on his statistical performance and what other wide receivers around his age have made, Spotrac projects that his new contract would be somewhere around $8.7 million per year for three years. Given the wide receiver market, this could be a little low and fans should expect that a contract for Boyd may be a bit closer to $10 to $12 million per year since his last contract technically had an average salary of $10.7 million per season. Another added value to acquiring Boyd would be a more veteran presence in the locker room coupled with playoff experience. While Moore certainly brings a veteran presence to the locker room, he has never played in a postseason game. Boyd, on the other hand, has played in seven postseason games, including the Bengals’ Super Bowl run in the 2021 season. Therefore, he brings a certain mindset to the locker room that Chicago is lacking on the offensive side of the ball.
