Before the Kansas City Chiefs elected to trade superstar receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a massive draft-pick package on Wednesday, the team was working on an extension that would've made the six-time Pro Bowler one of the league's highest-paid wideouts. But apparently, the terms didn't satisfy Hill's camp. He wanted something bigger and better.
According to a report from The Athletic, Hill told Kansas City that he wanted to become the highest-paid receiver in the NFL -- not just one of the top-five at his position -- and this demand was stressed after the Las Vegas Raiders gave Davante Adams a huge five-year, $140 million extension. Hill wanted to top the Adams' deal, and the Chiefs weren't willing to meet the record-breaking price.
"How much are the Chiefs going to regret this? They could've met him there with the money," Maggie Gray said during Thursday's edition of Maggie and Perloff. "This wasn't like them playing chess and they've been thinking about this for a year. A week ago they still wanted Tyreek Hill on the roster... To break up Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill -- one of the most prolific trios in history -- over a couple million dollars feel like it's very short-sighted for the Chiefs..."
"At a certain point, you can't have a $450 million contract with Mahomes and then make Hill -- by far or mildly -- the highest-paid receiver," Andrew Perloff said. "You can't pay everybody. And Kelce's 32. I hate to say it, this trio was going to break up at some point, anyway. Hill's 28. You have to think about what's happening next, don't you? You can't just pay everybody..."
Kansas City will undoubtedly miss Hill, who possesses elite-level speed and elusiveness. The 28-year-old racked up a franchise-record 111 receptions for 1,239 yards with nine touchdowns last season, and according to ESPN Stats, he's recorded 26 scores on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield over the past five years. Since 2018, Mahomes had linked with Hill for 41 touchdowns, the second-most by a quarterback-receiver duo in that time.
According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Chiefs are signing free agent receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a three-year, $36 million contract. He joins a receiving corps that features veteran tight end Travis Kelce, another free-agent acquisition in Juju Smith-Schuster, and a speedy Mecole Hardman. Kansas City currently has the second-best odds to represent a loaded AFC in Super Bowl 57, per the William Hill Sportsbook.
Maggie and Perloff's complete thoughts on the Hill trade can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.