A pair of AFC East rivals were the final suitors for former Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was traded in a surprise blockbuster on Wednesday. But Hill himself was only truly interested in one of them. A day after reports indicated the Dolphins and Jets had emerged as front-runners for the six-time Pro Bowler, with Miami ultimately landing Hill in exchange for five draft picks, Hill told reporters he "was gonna pick Miami no matter what." His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has confirmed as much, per NFL Media, saying the Jets actually reached the first agreement with Kansas City for a potential trade, but that Hill always preferred the Dolphins.
Hill, 28, was willing to stay with the Chiefs had Kansas City offered a similar contract as the record four-year, $120 million deal he signed with Miami as part of the trade. That's according to Rosenhaus, per NFL Media's Cameron Wolfe, who added that trade talks began to materialize after it was clear the Chiefs would not match such offers. The Jets first struck a deal in principle with Kansas City on Monday, per Mike Garafolo, but Miami "stepped up at some point and then it was only a matter of time" before the wideout, who has often held offseason workouts in the area, elected to play for the Dolphins.
Asked how close he was to choosing the Jets on Thursday, Hill joked that they were never in consideration.
"How close was I?" he said. "Who? The Jets? Nah, man, look ... I don't even wanna get into all that. I knew I was gonna pick Miami no matter what."
Now the highest-paid receiver in NFL history, the All-Pro added that he's excited to work under new Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, whose "energy is contagious," as well as with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whom Hill called one of the NFL's most accurate passers.
