Tyreek Hill Didn’t Want to ‘Break up Something Special’ in KC

Despite being traded, Hill said he didn't initially want things to unfold how they did.

Months removed from being traded by the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is still being asked about what went wrong and how he ended up where he is now.

After putting up some of the best numbers in franchise history over the course of his six-year career in Kansas City, Hill was reportedly granted permission to seek a trade and was subsequently shipped to Miami on the same day back in late March. The trade stemmed from the Chiefs and Hill's camp not seeing eye-to-eye on a contract extension following the receiver market being reset earlier in the offseason. 

Now, Hill enters an uncertain situation in Miami with a four-year, $120 million contract in hand and is forced to put his days as a Chief in the past. The 28-year-old appeared on ESPN's First Take program on Monday and said the following when asked about how things in Kansas City fell apart before the trade: 

I believe it was just one of those situations where my agent Drew Rosenhaus, one of the best in the game, he's seeing Davante Adams break the bank with the Raiders and he called me. He was like, 'yo, Tyreek, we've got to get the Chiefs on the phone and we've got to make something shake.' I told him, I was like, 'Drew, I don't want to break up something special ... let's at least maybe not top it, but at least get somewhere close to it.' The Chiefs, they were nowhere close to being close to the Davante Adams deal, so that's really where everything broke down.

Upon being traded from the Green Bay Packers, Adams was rewarded with a five-year, $140M contract that saw him secure some of the best money in NFL history for a wideout. That deal has been topped by only Hill in terms of average annual value, and the total amount of the contract sits atop the positional leaderboard by a full $20M (Hill is in second place). 

As Hill prepares for the 2022 season alongside the likes of Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and others in Miami, he still has plenty of love for those he played with in Kansas City. He also added that joining the Dolphins and leaving his former home was a tough move to make:

Pat (Patrick Mahomes), (Travis) Kelce, D-Rob (Demarcus Robinson), Mecole (Hardman), all of those guys... those are my brothers outside of football. I'll always love those guys. It kind of broke my heart when I had to sign to Miami but my mom, she always tells me that everything happens for a reason. 'Maybe this is something for you to help more people believe that you are today's generational wide receiver.'

By all accounts, Hill and the Chiefs parting ways was a difficult decision. Kansas City didn't feel comfortable with Rosenhaus's asking price, and both Rosenhaus and Hill ended up finding a partner that was willing to make the star receiver the highest-paid player at his position. Hill mixed in comparisons between Mahomes and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa during his segment, adding that the latter is the "most accurate quarterback in the NFL." He's clearly happy with where he is now, even if it was apparently a hard pill to swallow at first.