Regarding his decision to join the Miami Dolphins from the Kansas City Chiefs, Tyreek Hill has been candid. With over 1,000 receiving yards in just eight games, the four-time All-Pro wide out is having an amazing season. In an interview with Brandon Marshall for “I Am Athlete,” he also detailed his experiences after relocating to Miami in 2022.
Hill, who inked a $120 million four-year contract with the Fins, maintains that he never intended to leave the Chiefs, but after his agent started the process of extension talks, he was unable to secure the guaranteed salary he desired in Kansas City.
“This is a lot to unpack, man. Strong question,” he said after being asked about his decision to leave.
“You know what? To be honest, it was a situation where like my agent (Drew Rosenhaus) was trying to bait KC into giving me a contract. The idea was to never leave KC, and that’s the first thing I told my agent by the way.
“I got on the phone, he was like, ‘Reek, I’m gonna fly down to you tomorrow, we gonna talk about our plan of attack to how we gonna get you a new contract in KC.’
“And I was like look, as long as I don’t get traded, because we just lost in the AFC Championship. I’m trying to get back at the Bengals bro, it’s like, ‘Okay, cool. We not gonna get traded, we just gonna get you a new deal.’
“He fly down the next day we talk and stuff like that. We still on the same page. He get on the phone with [Chiefs general manager Brett Veach], and he’s like, ‘Veach, look we gonna be forced to ask for a trade if you don’t get ‘Reek a contract.’ Veach is like, ‘OK…let’s talk numbers…so they talk numbers.’
The wide receiver claimed that he was open to a team-friendly as long as he received a solid guaranteed number and that he had received assurances from both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes that he would be taken care of.
When Hill revealed that the Chiefs would only accept offers with a $58 million guarantee, he began considering other proposals.
“So the Chiefs weren’t budging at all, that’s when you know I guess the trade began to come into Drew’s head. He was like, ”Reek, we gonna get you traded for what you deserve.’ “I’m like, ‘What do I deserve?’ He’s like, ‘Bro, you deserve at least $70 million. I’ve been with you for four years now like and I see the potential.”
The Pro Bowler stated that he trusted Rosenhaus to identify the ideal scenario, and that the Dolphins and New York Jets were the last two teams.
Tyreek Hill is the FIRST PLAYER in NFL history to have 1,000+ REC YDS in first 8 games of the season 😳 pic.twitter.com/fJ05FtmLZc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 29, 2023
Even though the Jets offered more and had Adam Sandler enticing him, he ultimately decided to sign with the Dolphins, who ended up paying him $72.2 million guaranteed, since he enjoyed playing with them on Madden and was a fan of the team’s past. His mother also emphasized to him the fact that Florida does not collect state taxes.
Following Hill’s departure, things have gone well for both sides because he has had a great personal season and the Chiefs have won another Super Bowl.
