FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.
The Brandon Marshall trade the Miami Dolphins pulled off in 2010 taught me one rule about the NFL: it’s irresponsible to trade draft capital for a player, and then sign that Pro Bowl caliber player to a record-setting contract.
Money and early draft picks are too much for one player.
But if you’ll allow me, I’d like to make an amendment to that rule, which is that if the player is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, like Tyreek Hill is, exceptions should be made.
That’s why it was wise for the Dolphins to send the Chiefs a package of draft picks that includes a first-round selection to acquire the six-time Pro Bowl speedster and three time All-Pro (2016, 2018 and 2020). They outbid the New York Jets in giving him a new four-year, $120 million extension, which included $72.2 million in guaranteed money, according to his agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Hill undoubtedly would be worth the hefty investment of making him the NFL’s highest-paid receiver, if he can help Miami get its offense out of second gear.
Last year, the 28-year-old Hill caught a career-high 111 receptions for 1,239 yards and nine touchdowns. He has scored 67 touchdowns during his six-year career, including five as a return specialist.
That averages out to a remarkable 10 offensive scores per season, putting him in the company of Hall of Famers like Randy Moss (12 touchdowns a season), Terrell Owens (11.7), Marvin Harrison (10.6) and Jerry Rice (9.85).
That’s the trajectory he’s on if he can play another five or six seasons at this pace.
For now, Hill’s the type of player who can turn a simple check-down into a first down, if not a touchdown, and does so multiple times a game. Having that type of weapon could make the Dolphins a perennial playoff team instantly.
And that’s likely why general manager Chris Grier pulled off the blockbuster deal — and should be applauded for it.
Hill has created the blueprint for the type of receiver the Dolphins have been searching for the past five seasons.
Those types of electric playmakers come around once or twice a decade. They’re hard to find, and the Chiefs learned they are even tougher to keep.
Hill’s divorce with Kansas City was without a doubt about money. It usually is, especially with top wideouts.
To secure a trade for Hill, the Dolphins had to write a massive check, something Dolphins owner Steve Ross hasn’t shied away from during his tenure with the organization.
Ross actually embraces it, and this time Miami landed one of the NFL’s premier players — a top-10 standout in a league full of superstars.
The last time that happened was when the Dolphins lured Ndamukong Suh, signing the defensive tackle to a record-setting, six-year, $114 million deal as a free agent in 2015. While the outcome of that transaction didn’t exactly light the NFL on fire — mainly because he was a defensive tackle — the disappointment wasn’t because of Suh’s talent. It was due to the lack of impact he had on games.
Hill is almost certain to make an impact.
Who cares that Miami lost a first-round pick considering Charles Harris, Austin Jackson, and Noah Igbinoghene sit in Grier’s pile of first-round whiffs, which should clarify why first-round picks are a roll of the dice to begin with.
With draft picks, the goal is to get a young, inexpensive player who has enough talent to become a Tyreek Hill.
Well, if you’re in position to just get Hill, why not do it?
Miami did that by bidding big.
The Dolphins didn’t surpass the five-year, $140 million deal the Raiders gave Devante Adams when they acquired him from Green Bay for a first- and second-round pick in the 2022 draft. But Hill now holds the record for guaranteed money given to a receiver on a restructured deal — the only number that matters in NFL contracts.
If Hill’s the same player he’s been his first six seasons for the next several years, who cares what the Dolphins gave up to get him or how much he was paid?
Putting Hill on the opposite side of Jaylen Waddle, with Mike Gesicki in the seam and Cedrick Wilson Jr. in the slot, plus a forceful rushing attack, the Dolphins could be a force in the AFC if Tua Tagovailoa takes the next step at quarterback.
And with Hill in the mix, that question should get some clarity as we see if Tagovailoa truly was a product of the Alabama talent around him.
