Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Trading the NFL’s best receiver changed the face of the Chiefs and Dolphins.
Patrick Mahomes’ connection with Tyreek Hill on the Kansas City Chiefs was destined to become one of the NFL’s legendary quarterback-receiver tandems. With 6,630 yards and 56 touchdowns in six years, the duo was on pace to eclipse Steve Young and Jerry Rice, with Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison’s Colts within striking distance as well.
Ultimately it was torn apart too soon. The Chiefs, wary of giving Hill the massive long-term contract he wanted, traded Hill ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft to the Dolphins for a haul of picks, as Miami’s new coach Mike McDaniel identified that Hill would be the key piece he needed to run his offense.
Now, Hill returns to Arrowhead Stadium for a second time this year. The first was a bit of a mixed bag, as Hill recorded eight catches for 62 yards, but also lost a critical fumble in what ended up being a one-score loss for the Dolphins. This is Hill’s first playoff return to Kansas City since that trade, and the trajectory of each team has changed greatly since that deal was done.
The Chiefs appeared to be on the verge of an unstoppable dynasty that would last for the better part of a decade, but despite winning a Super Bowl just last season look more vulnerable than ever due to their lack of offensive weapons.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins went from being perennially middling to an elite AFC team who appear, at the very least, to be a routine part of the playoff conversation. Hill has been the catalyst, becoming Tua Tagovailoa’s best receiver, the heart of the Dolphins’ speed offense, and coming within striking distance of the NFL’s single season receiving record.
Let’s revisit that trade, the factors involved, and what each team ended up getting out of the deal. We know Hill has turned the Dolphins around, but was it a rare mistake from the normally buttoned-up Chiefs?
What did Kansas City get from the deal?
There are two ways to look at what the Chiefs received as a result of the Tyreek Hill trade. Firstly is the draft compensation, but also the cap flexibility that came from not having one of the NFL’s highest-paid receivers on the books.
CB Trent McDuffie (2022 No. 21 pick, acquired from New England with the Miami pick)
WR Skyy Moore (2022 No. 54 pick, acquired from New England with the Miami pick)
WR Kadarius Toney (acquired from Giants with a Miami pick)
Trent McDuffie is incredible. He’s one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, who isn’t talked about nearly enough because of the lingering incorrect assumption that the Chiefs are a team of all offense and no defense. In the long run McDuffie might easily be the piece that makes this trade a win for the Chiefs, or at the very least a wash.
Now, Skyy Moore and the trade for Kadarius Toney is where this deal gets a lot more dicey. Moore has turned out to be an average NFL athlete, lacking the elite speed needed to get anything close to the separation that Hill gets on the regular.
Kadarius Toney is a trainwreck. Not only is he not good, but he’s actively hurt the Chiefs this season with his costly mistakes and game-defining moments.
If we look at that 2022 NFL Draft it’s difficult to really fault the Chiefs for taking Moore. He was the best player available at receiver where they were drafting, but the issue is that they picked too low. It hasn’t panned out, but the reality is that a majority of second and third round receivers don’t. So it’s difficult to call this a true mistake, though one could probably make an argument that TE Trey McBride (taken one pick after Moore) would have been a wiser decision to develop a succession plan for Travis Kelce, than risk taking the 13th receiver off the board.
The cap space is where the mistake really came. Much of the money was allocated to the defense, and the disastrous big-money signing of Jawaan Taylor to replace Orlando Brown Jr. Taylor has been abysmal at left tackle, and the team are now saddled with a bad contract.
Re-grading the Hill trade: A
The Chiefs decided to sacrifice their offensive firepower to build their defense, and to this end it definitely paid off. Kansas City has quietly built one of the better units in the NFL, and I think it makes a lot of sense.
The Chiefs saw the writing on the wall. Even with Hill they struggling in shootouts against both the Bills (who they barely squeezed past) and the Bengals (who they lost to) in 2021. Diversifying their team was the best path forward, with the belief that Mahomes’ brilliance would be enough to drag the offense through. This is mostly true.
If we look for a mistake it’s not finding a better receiving option for Mahomes in free agency. The Chiefs went a little hard into defense, and were backed into trading for Toney as their out.
The saving grace to all this is that the Chiefs will be able to find receivers in the future. Mahomes has the ability to make people around him better, so long as they’re better quality than the likes of Moore and Toney.
What about the Dolphins?
What is there to say about this deal? It was amazing for Miami. Yes, they gave up some draft assets — but this was a vote of confidence to build the team in Mike McDaniels’ image and it paid off.
The Dolphins weren’t a team in need of youth, they needed pop — and they got it. This is a rare case where everyone benefited from this deal.
Re-grading the Hill trade: A+
Opportunities to land the NFL’s best receiver don’t come along very often, let alone ones that don’t involve giving up multiple first rounds picks. Without Hill it’s unlikely the Dolphins are in the playoffs right now, so in every way this was a home run deal for them.
