The talk in the two and a half months since the Kansas City Chiefs shipped Tyreek Hill‘s talents to South Beach has revolved around Hill’s fit in the Miami Dolphins offense and Kansas City’s approach to replacing the game-breaking wide receiver.
On his debut episode of the It Needed To Be Said podcast, Hill was happy to circle back and discuss what led to the dissolution of his relationship with the Chiefs in the first place.
“If teams are gonna give us favorable one-on-one matches against their best corner, I don’t see why teams don’t utilize their best receiver,” Hill said, per Pro Football Talk. “And that’s where probably like me and the Chiefs fell apart right there. When I’m like, yo, I don’t mean to talk or be a diva in some situation, but can I see the pill some time, please? Just give me the ball, please.”
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who appeared on the podcast, reiterated the feeling that Hill’s talents were occasionally wasted by the Chiefs in 2021.
“There was a lot of times during the year that we felt that Tyreek was underutilized and wasn’t fully appreciated, and that they really weren’t taking full advantage of all of his ability and talent,” said Rosenhaus. “But Tyreek is a trooper. He never made a peep about it. He was extremely professional.”
There’s certainly no shortage of No. 1 wide receivers throughout NFL history who have perceived themselves as target-starved, but does Hill’s claim have merit?
It is objectively true that Hill had five or less targets in five games in 2021 compared to 2020, when the wideout logged less than six targets only once.
It is likewise objectively true that Hill had double-digit targets in ten games last season, surpassed 100 receptions for the first time in his career and set a career high in targets (159) — he finished the year ranked seventh across the league in that statistic.
Where the numbers do seem to align for both club and player involves Hill’s yards per reception. Having earned the nickname “Cheetah,” Hill has long been the league’s foremost threat at blowing the top off an opposing defense. Last season, his yards per reception dropped to 11.2, more than four yards off his average between 2017-2020 and his lowest output since his rookie campaign.