Three contract decisions that will pay off for Kansas City Chiefs

Tyreek Hill

The Tyreek Hill trade caught almost everyone off guard when the news first broke in March that the Chiefs had agreed to trade the star wide receiver, before promptly dealing him to the Miami Dolphins. It was a decision that had an immediate impact on the Chiefs, but it is also one that could have long-term benefits down the road.

There is no doubt about it. The Chiefs are a lesser team this season without Hill on their roster. At the same time, I think Brett Veach and the front office deserve a lot of credit for drawing a line on how much he was worth and refusing to cross it.

We know the Chiefs were willing to pay Hill a sizeable amount of money, but when the Davante Adams deal reset expectations, and with Hill wanting to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the league, the Chiefs weren’t willing to meet that price. Credit them for holding to that.

Hill signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the Dolphins—a huge contract. He is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic players in the league and a top-shelf wide receiver, but at 28, the length of the deal and the amount of money it would leave them on the hook for was too great a burden for the team. They didn’t fall into the trap of overpaying for Hill.

Maybe the Chiefs were more cautious with Hill because of the Clark contract situation. Maybe the recent experience of how a big deal can leave the team handcuffed gave them cold feet. With Mahomes as their QB, the Chiefs will be a top offense almost regardless of who they have at wide receiver. While a top wide receiver is obviously great, the Chiefs have other areas of their team that are far more urgent for them to invest in, something we have seen them do this offseason.

Whatever the reason, I think that long term, this is a contract that the Chiefs will be glad they don’t have on their books.