The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense has been on the decline as of late. Not because Patrick Mahomes’ skillset has diminished, but because the NFL salary cap took away the Chiefs’ and Mahomes’ top weapon, Tyreek Hill.
The Chiefs were in a salary cap crunch and elected to trade Hill to the Miami Dolphins on March 23rd of 2022. In exchange, the Chiefs received five draft picks, including a first-round pick, a second-round pick, two fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2023, and a sixth-round pick in 2023.
Following the trade, the Dolphins signed Hill to a four-year, $120 million contract extension.
Just over three years since the deal went down, Hill remains in Miami, but his time in South Beach could be coming to a close.
This is a prediction, not a report.
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The Kansas City Chiefs Will Trade For Tyreek Hill
There are a few driving factors behind why this deal could take place, the first of which is the recent offensive struggles in Kansas City.
The Chiefs’ Offense Has Struggled After Losing Tyreek Hill
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a humbling Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl exposed all of Kansas City’s flaws.
The offensive line could not protect Mahomes, and no matter how great a quarterback is, interior pressure, which prevents a quarterback from stepping into the pocket and into his throws, negates even Mahomes’ greatness.
Add in that the Eagles’ secondary had no fear of Kansas City’s wide receivers taking the top off of the defense, and Philadelphia was able to sit on the Chiefs’ routes and suffocate Kansas City’s passing game.
The offensive line issues may have been alleviated through the NFL Draft, but the issues with stressing defenses vertically are still there.
Tyreek Hill’s Unhappiness With The Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill went viral last season. After a Week 18 loss to the New York Jets, Hill requested a trade, clearly frustrated with the backup quarterback situation in Miami and the availability of Tua Tagovailoa, who has dealt with ongoing, career-threatening concussions.
He later backtracked on this trade request, asking for remorse from his teammates and others in Miami.
Hill is not in the good graces of his head coach, Mike McDaniel, or Miami’s front office, who are regularly asked questions about Hill’s happiness in Miami.
Even Tagovailoa spoke to the media, stating that his relationship with Hill is a work in progress, citing the need for Hill to actively work to earn his teammates’ trust.
With the volatile relationship between the Dolphins and Hill, a breakup could take place between the two before the trade deadline.
Why a Tyreek Hill Reunion Makes Sense For The Kansas City Chiefs
As previously mentioned, the Chiefs’ wide receiver room has been put together with uninspiring free agent additions and questionable draft picks.
Kansas City has done one-year rental contracts with Hollywood Brown, also signing JuJu Smith-Schuster as a free agent.
The Chiefs drafted Rashee Rice in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft to help make up for Hill’s lost production. Rice had a nice start to the 2024 season, with 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns, before a knee injury ended his season.
The Chiefs have struggled to find consistent production from the wide receiver room, which has become even more apparent with the decline of Travis Kelce at tight end.
Waiting to trade for Hill until before the trade deadline makes sense for Kansas City. They’d be letting the Dolphins pay Hill’s salary for half of the season and then bolster their struggling receiving corps, reuniting Hill with Mahomes, while also providing insurance for Rice’s potential struggles after the knee injury or an impending suspension.
