Attempt at Hill Falls Through
- Caleb Gill
- Mar 23, 2022
- 3 min read
This one came right out of left field, but it was an exciting couple hours while it lasted.
On the morning of March 23, it was reported that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to let star WR Tyreek Hill seek out a trade. From there things quickly began to unfold, and it left two teams to be the front-runners on a trade for Hill:
The New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.
Picturing Hill with the likes of Elijah Moore and Zach Wilson were fun, until a trade was finalized and it was announced that Hill would be taking his talents to South Beach.
This didn't come down to draft compensation, it came down to where Hill wanted to go. And ultimately Hill wanted to play in the beautiful weather that Miami has to offer and in a state that has no income tax. You can't blame a person for choosing Florida over New York.
The Dolphins would give up a 2022 1st Round Pick, a 2nd Round Pick and a 4th Round Pick, along with 4th and 6th Round Picks in 2023, per Adam Schefter. Dolphins also gave Hill a 4-year extension worth $120 million, with $72.2 million guaranteed, per his agent Drew Rosenhaus.
The Jets reported offer for Hill was 2 2nd Round Picks and a 3rd Round Pick this year for Hill and a 4th Round pick. That one stings a little. Knowing the Jets could have had Hill and both of their first round picks in this years draft.
Hill is one of, if not the, best deep threat in the NFL. His ability to completely change how a defense plays can not be understated. His separation and speed are both elite, and would have helped Wilsons development. But instead, Hill went to a team with a QB that doesn't really push the ball down the field. However, Hill and Waddle on paper still prove to be a top WR duo, especially in terms of speed.
You have got to applaud the Jets and GM Joe Douglas for being as aggressive as they were in their pursuit of Hill. It shows that Douglas really does want to add talent to this team and wants to give Wilson as much help as possible.
It is going to sting for a while, especially when the Jets play against Hill twice in a year, but this helped to show Douglas's hand a bit. You can fully expect the Jets to take a WR with a top pick now in the NFL Draft, if you didn't expect that already (expect that pick to be #10 overall).
I know for me, I am ultimately disappointed the Jets couldn't get Hill. It seemed like a once in a lifetime type move to get a Top 5 (arguably Top 3) WR in the league. But it was to no fault of their own that they didn't get him. Hill had the power to choose where he wound up, and he picked Miami.
I would like to see more of this aggressiveness. The Jets are well positioned to make a big trade like they attempted to make today. Between draft picks and the cap flexibility they have given themselves, I wouldn't close the door on them yet in the trade market.
With the way the Jets structured their contracts for Free Agents this year (with a lot of backloading on deals) it was always sensed that the Jets could try to make a splash in the trade market. Today they almost did.
Maybe a WR like DK Metcalf could become available. It doesn't seem too likely right now, but again yesterday it didn't seem likely that Tyreek Hill would be available.
In what has been one of the craziest NFL offseason I can recall, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Jets take part in another one of these trades, and maybe even seal the deal and get the player they want.
If that doesn't happen, the draft is where they will address their whole at WR. Guys like Drake London (USC) and Garrett Wilson (OSU) grab the headlines for them at pick #10, as they should.
Unless the Jets make a move for WR in a trade before the draft, I would be VERY shocked if they do not take one with the 10th overall pick, unless they trade down from 10. Even then I would still expect them to take a WR in the 1st round. At that point though a guy like Treylon Burks (Arkansas) or even Jameson Williams (Alabama) could come more into play for the Jets.
I know this hurts, believe me. Not getting an elite WR and instead watching him go to a division rival sucks. But do not think all hope is lost on the Jets just yet. They are still equipped with 4 picks in the Top 40. They can still add talent to this team. I think they will.
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