March hasbeen one of the wildest months in recent years in the NFL. Even before the new league year began, blockbuster trades were already making big headlines and it was hard to catch up with everything that was happening so fast.
Not only star quarterbacks likeRussell Wilson or Deshaun Watson were traded but also some of the league’s best wide receivers. Shortly after Davante Adams left the Green Bay Packers for the Las Vegas Raiders to sign a massive deal, Tyreek Hill was shockingly traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins – overtaking Adams as the highest-paid WR in NFL history in the process.
As soon as extension talks stalled, Hill was given permission to seek a trade and it didn’t take long for him to find a new home. Nearly a week later, Patrick Mahomes has reflected on the departure of his former partner.
Patrick Mahomes opens up on Tyreek Hill’s departure from Chiefs
“It more surprised me whenever it got to the point where we were really considering trading him,” Mahomes told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “They kept me updated the entire time; I knew the extension talks were going on. And then I knew when he got the permission to seek to get traded. But I mean, still, I played my entire career with Tyreek, so definitely, there was a little bit of shock when he got traded.
“At the same time, they kept me involved the entire process, and I know that we made a tremendous effort to try to keep him in Kansas City. Tyreek, he’s such a tremendous player, he got what he deserved. I’m happy for him. And he’s at a place where he has a home and he’s closer to family and stuff. So I’m very happy for him. We had to move forward.
“We had to move on and try to get as much as we could for him and try to build that receiving room again,” Mahomes added. “And do it to where we have the ability to go out there and compete every single week, which I trust Brett Veach and coach [Andy] Reid will do.”
It may have not been great news for the Chiefs to see their star wide receiver leave, but it looks like theyhave reached a point of no return. Now it’s time to turn the page and Mahomes will have a lot of work to do in trying to find a dependable target in JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Mecole Hardman.