The Kansas City Chiefs have a Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Miami Dolphins on the horizon, with an interesting subplot drawing attention. For the first time in nearly two full years, superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill will play in a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
It’s been a long time coming, especially considering the veteran wideout has faced Kansas City since then but the meeting was in Germany in Week 9 of this season. Hill got to see his former Chiefs coaches and teammates then, although this time is simply different. Not only is this game at a place he called home for years, but it’s a playoff outing. The stakes don’t get higher than a win-or-go-home scenario.
When asked about Hill’s return, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid downplayed the high drama of the week. Citing Hill and the fans in Kansas City as “fired up,” he said this is nothing new. “Yeah, he’s always ready to play,” Reid said. “So he’ll be fired up, I’m sure. It doesn’t matter who comes in, our fans… they’re crazy every week. It’s going to be electric no matter who’s out there, but I know Tyreek will be fired up. But probably like our fans, he’s always fired up.”
Hill built quite the resume during his six years in Kansas City. Making the Pro Bowl every season, he also got named a first-team All-Pro three times. A stat line of 479 receptions for 6,630 yards and 62 offensive touchdowns highlighted just how impactful he was in his age 22-27 campaigns. As a Chief, Hill was one of the better pass-catchers in all of football.
Since his departure to Miami, however, he’s probably been one of the two best. In each of his first two seasons as a member of the Dolphins, Hill logged 119 receptions and went over 1,700 yards. His 1,799 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns in 2023-24 were top-ranking totals in his 16 games played. Being traded to South Beach allowed him to blossom into even more of a phenom in Mike McDaniel’s electric offense.
Hill’s old quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, said on Tuesday that he hasn’t heard from Hill this week. He isn’t worried about any potential trash talk from his former wideout, chalking it up to competition. “Yeah, I mean, we’re competitors,” Mahomes said. “That’s [what it is] at the end of the day. You’ve seen me with guys like Maxx Crosby.
You’ve seen me, I have that competitive fire when you’re on the football field, and he’s the same way. That’s what makes him so great. We’re still friends in the offseason and everything like that but when you play on the field, you’re trying to compete to win. That’s just kind of how it is. I’m excited for the opportunity for our defense. I’m excited for the opportunity for our team to go up against a great football team.”
Following an AFC Championship Game loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in January of 2022, the Chiefs faced a pivotal offseason. With Hill slated for a big contract, the franchise instead shipped him to Miami in exchange for future salary cap relief and a haul of draft picks. Those picks ended up playing critical roles on a Super Bowl-winning squad the ensuing season, making the swap worth it from general manager Brett Veach’s perspective.
On a personal level, it was likely worth it for Hill as well. Being closer to home, not having to deal with state income tax and being the best version of yourself as a professional is hard to beat. The Dolphins have yet to win a playoff game with him, but Saturday night presents another opportunity for it to happen. With Hill coming back to Kansas City, defensive tackle Chris Jones has nothing but nice things to say about someone who was a key part of the organization for more than half a decade.
“It should be exciting,” Jones said. “Tyreek is a well-respected player not only around the league, but especially in this building. What he was able to do in his tenure here, how successful we were with Tyreek here, scoring a lot of points. Him coming into himself as ‘The Cheetah,’ we came in together in our draft class. It was a remarkable time. A lot of points were scored, a lot of sacks were made. It was fun.”
