What the Sterling Shepard extension means for the Bengals
By Gary Pence
Sterling Shepard just signed an extension with the New York Giants. This lays the framework for Cincinnati’s possible negotiations to extend Tyler Boyd before he reaches free agency.
Shepard’s contract details are listed on spotrac.com. He received a four-year extension for a total of $41 million with $21.3 million guaranteed. Shepard and Boyd were both members of the 2016 draft class. They are also both number two receivers who spend a lot of time in the slot for their respective teams.
Mike Brown and the Bengals front office have always been an easy target for fans and media to criticize. Much of that criticism is deserved, but they have always managed the salary cap well. It has mostly been done by not being the team that sets the market and overpays. Instead, the Bengals work off of contracts that similar players from other teams have received. The Shepard extension sets the Bengals up nicely to truly engage in extension talks with Boyd.
Shepard’s career totals are 190 receptions for 2286 yards and 14 touchdowns. In comparison, Boyd has 152 receptions for 1856 yards and ten touchdowns. Shepard has the better career numbers, but Boyd has had the best single season out of the two and really seemed to come into his own last year. Given their similarities, Boyd will probably be looking for a similar contract to the one Shepard got.
Four years ago, The Bengals showed that they are willing to offer a similar contract to Shepard’s. They made a last-ditch offer to sign back Marvin Jones. It ultimately proved to be too late. Jones had his sights set on trying to become a featured receiver in Detroit. Cincinnati does not want history to repeat itself. Losing Jones and Mohamed Sanu set the franchise back a fair bit.
Thus, with a guideline deal now in place, it would be no surprise to hear an announcement soon that the Bengals have extended Boyd for somewhere in Shepard’s contractual ballpark.
Want to read more about Cincinnati’s offseason? Be sure to check out all of our Bengals coverage on Stripe Hype!
"Tyler Boyd’s Contract Should be Next Focus for Bengals"