Miami Dolphins superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill has revealed the reason why he turned down an offer to join the New York Jets this off-season when he was allowed to explore trade options from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hill was set to become a free agent, with the Chiefs reportedly making it clear that they were not willing to offer him the $30million (£26.2m) that he had been looking for. Two suitors, though, the Dolphins and Jets, had both made offers to the Chiefs, with both willing to pay Hill what he had asked for.
With the Chiefs happy with both trade offers, the decision of where he went came down to Hill, and he chose to join the Dolphins. And now, he has explained why he could not sign for the Jets.
Although both teams offered him the contract that he had been asking for, one would see him pocket considerably more money. Florida is one of nine states in the United States with no state income tax, while New York has one of the highest state income taxes in the United States.
This meant 8 per-cent of Hill's income would go towards the state of New York, should he have signed with the Jets. Ultimately, Hill signed a four-year, $120m (£104m) deal and featured $72m (£62.9m) in total guarantees.
Speaking on his decision, Hill said: "You know what it was very close to happening man but it was just those state taxes man. I realized that I had to make a grown-up decision and you know here I am in Miami. Great weather, great people, beautiful people I feel like, so here I am.”
The two sides play each other this Sunday, with Hill now facing Jets twice a year with the two sides being in the same division.
It looks to be a good move for the 28-year-old, with Hill leading the league in receiving yards and the Dolphins sitting atop of the division with a 3-1 record, with the Jets at 2-2 whilst having subpar quarterback production from Zach Wilson.
However, they could be without their star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shockingly suffered a concussion on Thursday night's loss to the Bengals, just days after many believed him to have suffered one in the win over Buffalo Bills, with the Dolphins being highly-criticised for their handling of the situation.
