More than two months after being traded to the Miami Dolphins, wide receiver Tyreek Hill has spoken about what wasn’t working for him at the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Read also: What’s going on with Gronkowski?
The 28-year-old feels he wasn’t targeted enough and deserved to have the ball more often. At least that’s what he said during his appearance on the “It Needed To Be Said” podcast.
“If the opposing teams give you a favorable one-on-one showdown against their best cornerback, I don’t understand why we wouldn’t use our best receiver. That’s probably why the relationship between the Chiefs and me deteriorated,” Hill said.
“I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t want to make a scene or be a diva in certain situations, but can I have more ball, please?'” he continued.
Also present at the taping, Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus added his two cents.
“There were several moments during the last season where we felt like Tyreek was underutilized and we didn’t appreciate it,” the rep said.
«Ils [les Chiefs] did not take full advantage of his skills and talent. Tyreek is a team guy, however. He never made a scene. He was extremely professional.”
Also a question of money
In 2021, Hill has been targeted by a throw from quarterback Patrick Mahomes five or fewer times in the same game on five occasions. He had experienced this situation only once in 2020. The star receiver, however, had 10 games where he was targeted more than 10 times, an increase compared to the previous season.
You also have to consider the financial aspect of the transaction which allowed the Chiefs to get five draft picks from the Dolphins, including a first-round selection.
Hill was looking for a new, much more lucrative deal, and the Kansas City organization couldn’t afford to offer him the moon, not least because of Mahomes’ bulky contract.
“I did my best,” Hill said of negotiations with the Chiefs. I spoke to the “fat guy”, [l’entraîneur-chef] Andy Reid. I spoke to the quarterback. I was like, ‘Can we do something? Can guaranteed money make more sense? Can it make sense for my family, please?
The star player finally got what he wanted with the Dolphins and signed a four-year deal worth $120 million, with $72.2 million guaranteed.