In short, yes, the Chiefs are winning the Tyreek Hill trade. It’s hard to argue they lost the trade when they are fresh off of a 14-3 season, an MVP award, and oh yeah, another Super Bowl. However, there is still an argument to be made, and there are many complexities to the trade just outside the players involved. So, let’s take a look one year later at exactly where the Tyreek Hill trade stands.
The Players
The Tyreek Hill trade involved 5 total draft picks. In return for Hill, the Chiefs received a 1st-round pick, a 2nd round-pick, two 4th-round picks, and a 6th-round pick. All of those picks have now been used or traded except for one. The 2023 6th-round pick was traded to the Cowboys for a 2024 5th-round pick, so until that pick is made or traded the deal won’t be entirely complete, but we have a good idea of how the trade turned out.
With the 2022 first-round pick obtained from the Dolphins, the Chiefs traded up with one of their picks to get CB Trent McDuffie. The Chiefs then traded back with their second-round pick and were able to get WR Skyy Moore, and the trade back allowed them to get OL Darian Kinnard as well. That finished their 2022 picks from the trade.
This year the Chiefs used their 2nd-round pick as well as the 4th-round pick obtained from the Dolphins to trade up for WR Rashee Rice. This same trade gave the Chiefs a 6th round pick in return. They then used that pick on Keondre Coburn. They were almost completing the Tyreek Hill trade.
So, overall the trade currently stands as:
Dolphins receive:
Tyreek Hill
Chiefs receive:
Trent McDuffie, Skyy Moore, Darian Kinnard, Rashee Rice, Keondre Coburn
This is exactly what the Chiefs wanted to do with their roster. Get younger, and more importantly, cheaper. However, as of now, this isn’t exactly the return I’m sure the Chiefs were hoping for. It’s much too early to say that either side won or lost the trade, but the Dolphins got a top 5 player at a premium position, and so far it doesn’t appear as though any player the Chiefs drafted using the picks they got for Tyreek will ascend that high. Of course, half of the players haven’t even played in a real game yet, and the other half have only played one season. Who knows how they could develop?
In all fairness, it doesn’t appear as though either side “lost” the trade. The Dolphins got exactly what they wanted, and what their offense needed. Tyreek and Jaylen Waddle created one of the best, and certainly fastest, duos in the entire NFL. Tyreek likely added more wins than any rookies they could have taken with the picks they gave up. If you bundled all the players the Chiefs have taken since the trade and offered them in exchange for Tyreek right now, the Dolphins almost certainly reject the trade. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story of the Tyreek Hill trade.
Outside The Players
The real reason the Chiefs won the trade has less to do with the players taken with the picks, but with how the team changed in general afterward. Patrick Mahomes had arguably the best season of his career after losing his best receiver. Why is that? Because he was forced to evolve even further. Mahomes was forced to play smarter, and more conservatively at times. The Chiefs’ offense became harder to predict after Tyreek left because Mahomes wouldn’t try to force the ball to anyone. This may have upset fantasy managers, but it was the best thing for the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.
There have been rumors of Tyreek Hill being a locker-room cancer, but I wouldn’t read too much into that. It’s clear that many Chiefs players are still on good terms with Hill, but it does appear that he does have somewhat of a diva personality. The Chiefs were planning on offering him an extremely generous extension, but after he saw the Christian Kirk deal, Tyreek knew he deserved even more money. Since leaving Kansas City it seems as though Tyreek can’t keep the Chiefs off his mind.
#Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill called his former team the Kansas City Qu**fs
😳😳😳pic.twitter.com/8fdRqIXlow
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 5, 2023
In the end, the Chiefs saved over $25 million dollars a year, and have built one of the deepest rosters they have ever had. They won a Super Bowl in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. The Dolphins managed to make the playoffs despite not having their starting QB available for half the season. Neither side can say they lost, but there is certainly a side that can say they are bigger winners.
