The Miami Dolphins are going all-in to start the Mike McDaniel era, trading five draft picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for six-time Pro Bowl wideout Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins will also give Hill a market-setting contract upon arrival in South Florida.
Chiefs trade Tyreek Hill for massive package of draft picks
The NFL’s blockbuster trade winds were blowing on Wednesday, as the Chiefs sent Hill to the Dolphins for a package that featured 2022 first, second, and fourth-round picks as well as 2023 fourth- and sixth-round selections, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Hill will now receive a four-year contract extension worth $120 million ($72.2 million guaranteed), according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Let’s grade the trade for all three parties.
Tyreek Hill
With a trade that seemingly came out of nowhere, Hill got a Brinks truck sent to South Beach ahead of his arrival.
Hill will average $30 million per year on his new contract extension. That annual total is the most by any wideout in NFL history. Hill also has a base salary of $3.44 million in the final year of his current deal that will be inherited by the Dolphins.
Hill is one of the top receivers in the game and is being paid on the same level as new Las Vegas Raiders wideout Davante Adams. In fact, over the next four years, Hill will actually make more money than Adams.
Also, now he gets to trade in Chiefs jackets for Dolphins flip flops, which is pretty convenient if you ask PFN.
GRADE: A+
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are really investing in McDaniel’s offense, and that’s good news for Tua Tagovailoa. Hill will take the top off opposing defenses and serve as an easy outlet on screen passes. Hill should be able to complement last year’s first-round pick, WR Jaylen Waddle, in the yards-after-catch (YAC) game and open up lanes for the rushing attack, which should be a fixture of a Kyle Shanahan-style offense.
The Dolphins have been free-wheeling with their cash this offseason and have surrounded McDaniel with an abundance of talent. Hill, Terron Armstead, Cedrick Wilson, and Connor Williams should make life a lot easier for Tagovailoa and the rest of the incumbent pieces on offense.
While the Dolphins are paying Hill a ton of money, his talent should help make their young QB a lot better. The Dolphins also need to figure out if Tagovailoa is the guy for the future or just now, as he enters his third season and a potential contract extension window after that campaign. Hill will help Miami’s brass decipher that notion.
GRADE: A
Kansas City Chiefs
The salary cap is real, folks. The Chiefs are giving up one of the best players in the game for two premium-ish picks and a trio of Day 3 fodder selections.
The Chiefs couldn’t afford to pay Hill with all the money tied up into deals for QB Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and the offensive line. So, they needed to salvage value for a top-tier playmaker, and that’s what they did with the Dolphins, as they leveraged their AFC East rival, the New York Jets, in trade talks.
The Chiefs are getting a really late first-round pick (29th overall) in the deal, which kind of dampens the return value. The second-round pick (50th overall) is right in the middle of the round. That said, Hill wanted to get paid, the Chiefs couldn’t pay him, and the franchise needed to do something.
It’s hard to imagine the Chiefs fan base is super excited about JuJu Smith-Schuster (and potentially Marquez Valdes-Scantling) as Hill’s replacement. That said, the Chiefs still have Mecole Hardman to stretch the field.
This is a sad day for KC’s potential dynasty, despite the talent still in place.
GRADE: C