The Chiefs received a cache of draft picks with their March 2022 trade of wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, and it was very much by design.
Before the trade was completed, there were various reports that seven-time Pro Bowler would instead be dealt to the Jets. Ultimately, Hill wanted to go to Miami, which helped the Chiefs facilitate the deal.
But what other reasons led the Chiefs to trade Hill to Miami instead of New York? Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently spoke with Chiefs general manager Brett Veach about the situation, and he explained the team was in search for “a package based on volume (rather than quality) picks.”
Originally, the Jets offered the Chiefs the 10th pick in the 2022 NFL draft straight up for Hill. But Kansas City wanted more picks. And, Hill wanted to go to Miami.
What ended up happening with the Dolphins is what the Chiefs were looking for in regard to a trade package. In return from the Dolphins, the Chiefs received the 29th pick in 2022, as well as a second-rounder, two fourth-rounders and a 2023 sixth-rounder.
While it was difficult to trade away one of the league’s top receivers, Veach said the move was all part of the “plan.”
“That’s where you kinda hit the crossroads—if you want to do that, you can, but it’s not gonna be easy,” Veach told Breer. “It’s gonna have to involve a talent like Tyreek Hill, and so that’s what becomes tough, because it sounds good until you get to the moment where, ‘All right, this is Tyreek Hill. This is what you said, but do you really want to trade arguably the league’s best receiver?’ That’s where when you have a plan, you gotta stick to it. You can’t let the emotional side kick in because you can have a plan in place.”
Hill ranked second in the league this season with 1,710 receiving yards, behind only Justin Jefferson (1,809) of Minnesota. Hill’s contract with Miami runs for four years at a potential total value of $120 million.
