A longtime Bengal but Pennsylvania native and Pitt alum, free-agent wide receiver Tyler Boyd would have no qualms with switching sides to an AFC North rival.
Speaking at a youth camp football camp in his hometown of Clairton, Pennsylvania, Boyd said he believes he still has "a few more years" left to play in the NFL and touched on the potential of getting a call from the Steelers.
"Absolutely," Boyd told Pittsburgh Sports Now's Austin Bechtold regarding whether or not he'd suit up for Pittsburgh. "You know, all my family is here. I'd be able to have the majority, all of my family, be able to support me."
When asked if donning black and gold is a realistic possibility, Boyd referred to his days as a Pitt Panther, when he shared the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex with the Steelers.
"I believe so," he said. "I'm real cool with (head coach Mike) Tomlin. He's always been a good person. ... When I was at Pitt, we had a good relationship. After practice, I'd walk over there and talk to AB (Antonio Brown) and those guys, talk to Tomlin, just pick at different things where I could get better and get a feel of some guidance. He was always a great guy and we always spoke. I think we had a great friendship.
"But I mean, if it happens, it happens. If not, it is what it is."
Boyd made the most of every bit of guidance and eventually entered the NFL in the second round of the 2016 draft, only he found himself at odds with the Steelers as a member of the Bengals.
He played eight seasons in Cincinnati before last year joining up with the Titans, for whom he contributed 390 yards on 39 catches. Those numbers marked Boyd's lowest since his second season in the league, and he was held scoreless for the first time.
Now on the other side of 30, set to turn 31 in November, Boyd has waited out free agency through the latter periods of the offseason and potentially into preseason, when teams might take fliers or end up scrambling due to injuries during training camp.
While nothing of the sort has been reported, the Steelers would be a sensical team if Boyd catches on somewhere for a 10th season.
They have one of the most glaring needs at the position following their trade of George Pickens to the Cowboys. After DK Metcalf, quarterback Aaron Rodgers is currently set to throw to names such as Robert Woods, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek in what could be his NFL swan song.
An addition makes sense, though it could just as easily be someone such as Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper or Gabe Davis.
Boyd joining Pittsburgh, a hometown hero turned nemesis and back again, would make for a fun full-circle story.
Regardless, Boyd isn't overly concerned with hypotheticals. Be it with the Steelers or somewhere else, he's ready to rock and hopeful offers pick up in the near future.
"I know camps are starting, so within the next couple of weeks I'm gonna have more teams having more interest and I'll go from there," he said.
