With the number of rumors that have surrounded the Steelers from this offseason and through the trade deadline, many receivers were tied to Pittsburgh. Now that the team landed Mike Williams in a trade just before the deadline passed, every rumor has died off. One thing is for sure, there were plenty of receivers who were rumored to have had interest from the black and gold.
Tyler Boyd was one of those receivers rumored to have interest in the Steelers dating back to free agency this past offseason. It made sense after Diontae Johnson was shipped out of town. They needed a replacement, and Boyd could play outside or inside for an NFL offense. He ended up signing with the Tennessee Titans after weeks of speculation of his potential return home.
Those rumors were put to bed, but after the Titans started to tank early in the season and the Steelers still had a need at receiver, trade rumors started to pop around the two parties. It still made sense as Boyd is a solid veteran receiver who can provide flexibility for the team. Any speculation surrounding the trade was shut down to an inside source within the organization who has some pull.
Steelers leadership doesn't want Tyler Boyd in Pittsburgh at any point
According to Mark Kaboly on the 93.7 The Fan's Joe Starkey Show, the Steelers have crossed Boyd off the list of possibilities for a while. Not only is Boyd unlikely to ever play for Pittsburgh this season, but it seems unlikely to ever happen. It is hard to imagine a certain player not wanting a free agent to join their team. There must be someone who is a respected individual who pulled some strings.
"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," said Kaboly.
We know that Mike Tomlin was not opposed to the Steelers signing Boyd or adding him to their roster according to Kaboly's statement. We also know that the black and gold were trying to sign him in free agency but that never materialized. So that bares the question of who has enough pull in the Steelers locker room to shut down a signing of Boyd or anyone else they might have personal beef with.
Well, we know both T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward had some major pull with the addition of Russell Wilson this past offseason. Perhaps Heyward or Watt didn't want Boyd to join the team. Minkah Fitzpatrick could also have some sort of pull as a star player on defense. None of those names are confirmed options for neglecting this move, but they are fair guesses based on what happened with Wilson.
After looking at Boyd's numbers this season, he hasn't done much. It has been a down year in Tennessee as a whole, and Boyd is not an outlier with that. It seems like his productive days in the NFL are starting to dissipate. He is still a versatile veteran receiver option going forward, but his inability to join the Steelers could have hurt him and Pittsburgh when it is all said and done.