Report: Steelers Player Shut Down Tyler Boyd Interest

The Pittsburgh Steelers never seriously considered bringing in wide receiver Tyler Boyd as a free agent.

Sep 22, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) makes a catch against the Green Bay Packers during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers went to great lengths this past offseason to supplement their wide receiver room, though it appears an addition of hometown kid Tyler Boyd was never in the cards.

In an appearance on 93.7 The Fan's The Joe Starkey Show, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly stated that while he doesn't believe head coach Mike Tomlin had any qualms about bringing Boyd in, a player with influence in the locker room was staunchly against doing so.

"I don't know about Mike Tomlin, specifically, not liking him because of what he said," Kaboly said. "I just know that the Steelers weren't interested in him. Somebody within the organization, player-wise, pretty much stood up and said 'Nope, we don't want him here.' It wasn't the coach, it was a player, I think, must have had some pull."

Kaboly's answer came in response to a question that was taken from Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's weekly chat, where someone asked if there was any truth to the idea that Tomlin was not a fan of Boyd's after the receiver essentially said the Steelers quit following the Bengals' 24-10 win over them in Week 3 of the 2021 season.

Both Dulac and Kaboly dismissed that notion, though the fact that a specific player was so outwardly opposed to Pittsburgh signing him says a lot about his reputation around the team.

Boyd, who is from the Pittsburgh suburb of Clairton and attended the University of Pittsburgh, spent the first eight years of his career in Cincinnati while racking up 513 catches for 6,000 yards and 31 touchdowns.

The Steelers reportedly engaged in exploratory conversations with the 29-year-old when he hit free agency, though their apparent reluctance to offer him a multi-year deal put a kibosh on that process.

Boyd went on to sign a one-year deal worth $2.4 million with the Tennessee Titans in May. He's posted 21 catches on 184 yards over eight games this year, and Pittsburgh showed little interest in acquiring him at the trade deadline before bringing in Mike Williams.

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