I don’t follow the Chiefs, so I can only hypothesize:
He’s 28, so it’s possible that they feel that his production may drop off before the end of his next contract (and I see that the Dolphins are rumored to have just signed him to a 3 year, $75 million deal). When the Packers traded Davante Adams (who’s a year-plus older than Hill) last week, I read an analysis which noted that many elite-level WRs see declines in their performance at age 30+.
He’s had several legal issues (in his case, related to domestic abuse), which I always suspect are in the back of a GM’s mind when they’re deciding whether to keep a player.
The Chiefs got at least marginally more for Hill than the Packers did for Adams – both got a 1 and a 2 this year, while the Chiefs also are apparently getting two 4s and a 5. So, it may have been a matter of the Dolphins making an irresistible offer.
He will be the highest paid WR in the league and the Chiefs needed to create some cap space. There was scant chance the Chiefs could match that salary without serious pain elsewhere on their roster.
I can wrap my head around why the Chiefs would trade Hill even though he is a capital G Great player ( he’s getting older, and will be getting a big payday).
But why on earth would the Dolphins trade away all those draft picks for a WR (even if it is a top tier one)? Do they honestly think they are a star WR away from being a contender???
I was wondering the same thing before I read through this article:
I tend to only closely follow the Giants off-season moves (and the big name deals) so I had no idea about the rest of the changes the Dolphins have made.
After the stuff Brian Flores was alleging about bounties for losses and Stephen Ross aiming for particular free agent QBs, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was another owner mandated move.
I’m having a hard time remembering one. Between the trades of star players, and the number of teams changing quarterbacks this season (despite the apparently weak QB class in the draft), I don’t remember the league ever shaking up this much, this quickly.
In the copycat NFL, the success of the Rams’ signing Stafford, Ramsay, and Miller seemingly convinces teams they’re just a stud or two away from winning it all. Personally, I think it’s great for the teams that are less splashy in their signings to have teams not only give huge contracts to, but also part with draft picks for, difference makers.
The Dolphins are clearly willing to overpay for speed. I’m betting it doesn’t work out for them, but that’s what is fun about the NFL.
I can see the theory is that Mahomes isn’t Mahomes without Tyreek Hill either. That doesn’t survive the eyeball test, but if indeed this is the owner calling the shots in Miami, then I wouldn’t be surprised.
“We got our hot QB pick! Why isn’t he getting us to the Super Bowl? Why isn’t he Mahomes? Get me whoever Mahomes is throwing to, I don’t care what it costs us.”
I’m not sure what you’re saying here. Mack was elite for the Bears and prior to this season he was healthy. He was one of the more reliable edge rushers in the league. This injury he had last season wasn’t some lingering carryover from his time in Oakland nor was it the kind of injury you might have predicted based on history or play style, it was a freak thing that could have happened to anyone.
Well, he got his ring, he got to coach Tom Brady, what else is there? He even completed the Cardinals turnaround that Kurt Warner and Whisenhunt started. I’d have retired a year ago. He’ll make the Hall.
Very curious timing. It makes me suspect that either there’s a health issue (he is 69 years old), or there’s some level of tension between himself and Brady.
On the NFL subreddit yesterday, I saw several threads based on articles from various journalists, suggesting that Arians and Brady don’t see eye-to-eye, and that that was a factor in Brady’s initial decision to retire. Thus, when Brady decided to come back, Arians decided to leave.
I also saw an article in which Arians indicated that he was likely to have retired after this season anyway, but doing so now let him take care of Todd Bowles and the rest of his staff, rather than potentially leading to a wholesale change of the staff behind a new head coach.