From picks to cap space, it was hard for the…
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Yes, the offense in Kansas City will be very different without Tyreek Hill in it. But once talks on an extension broke down and trade opportunities emerged, it was clear that the Chiefs needed to move on from a player who was going to take up a ton of cap space, and to accept five low-cost draft picks in return.
For a first-round pick, a second-round pick, two fourth-round picks, and a sixth-rounder, the Chiefs gladly parted ways with Hill. Throw in the mega-millions in money they won’t be paying Hill, and the Chiefs will move forward with a revamped and far cheaper receiving corps.
They have time. They have Patrick Mahomes. He’ll be there for years to come. At some point during Mahomes’s career, Hill was going to leave. By doing it now, the Chiefs get more than they ever would have, if they’d kept Hill through the balance of his prime and the inevitable decline.
The job now becomes finding a replacement for Hill. They can use multiple draft picks on receivers. They can explore a trade for, say, DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett. They can wait for a disgruntled receiver with another team (like Chase Claypool, maybe) to clamor for a path to Arrowhead Stadium. They can offer a contract to OBJ once he’s healthy or close to it.
The bottom line is that they have the quarterback position handled. That’s the hard part. The easy part is filling out the roster around him.
From picks to cap space, it was hard for the Chiefs to pass on Tyreek Hill trade
