Tyreek Hill trade was good for both sides, according to Chiefs CEO

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The Kansas City Chiefs’ highly-touted defense will face perhaps its most significant challenge of the season and a familiar face in Dolphin colours this weekend.

In March 2022, the team traded speedster Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a first and second-round selection, plus two fourth-round choices at the 2022 NFL Draft, along with a sixth-round selection in 2023.

During his time with the Chiefs, Hill was one of the most dynamic receivers, earning an All-Pro selection three times and helping the team capture a Super Bowl during the 2019 season.

Hill has continued his outstanding play in Miami, being selected as an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in his first season with the Dolphins in 2022 and is currently leading the NFL for receiving yards (1,014).

Win/Win

The Chiefs have been widely criticized this year for a lack of experience and production at the receiver position, though they have gotten some solid performances from the players acquired in the Hill trade.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie has been a staple in the KC secondary, registering 40 tackles with four passes defended, while Rashee Rice is having a solid rookie campaign, second on the team in receiving yards (361) behind Travis Kelce (583).

Skyy Moore, another player involved in the Hill trade, has had a disappointing campaign thus far but did make a key punt return in their AFC Championship victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last season and found the end zone in their Super Bowl triumph.

Meanwhile, the others in that trade, Darian Kinnard and Keondre Coburn, have featured in small sample sizes at offensive line and defensive tackle, respectively, which is not surprising given how strong the Chiefs have been in those areas in 2023.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Frankfurt, Germany, ahead of their big AFC clash with Miami, Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt talked about how he thinks the trade has worked out.

“I think that was a trade that worked out well for both parties,” Hunt said via team transcript. “Obviously, Tyreek is an incredible player and has done very well in his time with the Dolphins.”

Kansas City hasn’t been able to completely replace the productivity that Hill brought to their receivers’ room, but you can argue his departure allowed this team to spread the ball around more.

It’s hard to take away the productivity of Hill, but Justin Watson has put up some big numbers when healthy, averaging 21.8 yards per catch, while the team recently brought back Mecole Hardman.

Another component which has not been talked about much is the fact the team was able to move on and save a ton of money from the Hill contract demands, as Tyreek inked a four-year, $120 million deal with Miami shortly after the trade.

Even without Hill, the Chiefs still won the Super Bowl last season, and more pass catchers were involved, and that’s continued into 2023 as seven or more have had at least one grab in each game

“I think this year we are seeing that it did indeed work out well,” Hunt said.