It’s hard to imagine the Chiefs trading away one of their budding offensive stars.
Obviously now there will be significant barriers to a trade happening with the situation surrounding Hill, his fiance, and their son. The Chiefs will need to let that play out before any movement could happen. Could trading Hill truly be an option for the Chiefs though?
Hill’s name was rumored to have been mentioned in trade talks at the combine. Another player was also reported on the trading block at the combine — now Ex-Chiefs OLB Justin Houston. General manager Brett Veach was specifically asked about Houston and those reports. His answer was surprisingly honest.
“Obviously I’ve seen that myself out there. Justin Houston is a great player and our deal is to acquire and maintain as many great players as we can. I think this time of year I’m no different than any other GM standing on the podium. There are 32 teams here and every coach is here and every personnel member is here and we’re staying in the same hotels, so there’s a lot of dialogue. I think right now we’re just in the process of just collecting information and working with what we have. Then leave here and get together again and discuss and see what we can do to make our team better.”
There’s plenty of dialogue that happens at the combine, because everyone has access to everyone. Someone could have easily asked, “What would it take for you to trade us Tyreek Hill?” A bold team probably even asked the Chiefs what it’d take to land Patrick Mahomes in trade. These conversations can happen, but they’re not exactly something often acted upon.
Perhaps another team was doing research, trying to figure out what their target price should be for another NFL star. For instance, the Browns traded for Odell Beckham Jr. not too long ago. Asking around about what it costs to acquire other players helps you gauge cost on the one you’re actually after.
Hill has emerged as one of the most exciting and talented offensive players in the league, so there would certainly be a market for his talents if he was available in trade. After news broke that Hill would become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL, I imagine that would scare some teams away.
If Hill was on the trading block, the recent scenario surrounding his personal life would also have teams staying away, at least until there is a resolution. Though this situation likely hurts his value and any return the Chiefs could have possibly received in trade.
