Tyreke Hill made headlines with his jest about the Jets on Thursday, but his agent revealed how close Hill was to moving to New York.
Hill held an opening press conference with the Dolphins on Thursday, the day after Miami signed him to a deal with the Chiefs. The Jets finished second in Hill’s draw, but Hill gave the impression that the Jets were being used solely to exploit the Dolphins.
“How close was I? WHO? Jets? Hill asked. “I knew I would choose Miami no matter what because I am mostly from here, I am here all the time. This is a home for me, for us.”
It became a good headline and catchy quote when Hill fired at the downtrodden Jets. But his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, revealed exactly how the deal came about in a meeting with South Florida reporters after the press conference.
“There was a time when we talked to [the Jets] — it was almost settled,” Rosenhaus said, according to profootballnetwork.com. “So the Dolphins came in at the last minute to do it, and I give them credit because there’s a lot going on in this type of contract.”
Tyreke Hill speaks to the media after being introduced by the Miami Dolphins.Getty Images
Rosenhaus said the seeds of the deal were sown on March 17 when the Packers traded Davante Adams to the Raiders and Las Vegas gave him a five-year, $140 million contract.
Hill had a year left on his contract with the Chiefs, and Rosenhaus saw an opportunity.
“Immediately after the deal with Davante Adams, I called and spoke to [Chiefs GM] Brett Wyche,” Rosenhaus said. “I told Brett that I thought the market was ready for Tyreek. We started negotiations. I said, “Brett, Tyreke was a great player for you. He has a year left on his contract. If we can’t get down to business and get a deal similar to what Adams had, how would you feel about working on a deal so you can get something instead of him just playing his contract and walking away?
“I think they thought it over, called me back and asked: “What do you think you could get for Tyreek?” Rosenhaus continued. “I told them I think I can get a lot of them. More than Adams. He said: “If you feel so confident that we can get so much, I will give you permission to talk to everyone.” [31] commands. I was able to talk to everyone [31] clubs.”
According to Rosenhaus, 12 teams showed significant interest. But the Jets were quick to offer a strong offer, both in the form of a trade settlement for the Chiefs and in a new contract with Hill. Most of the teams withdrew once the Jets made their offer.
According to the source, the Jets offered the Chiefs for Hill two picks in the second and third rounds, as well as a fourth-round pick. They were also willing to sign Hill to a contract in the same area as the four-year, $120 million contract he was given by the Dolphins.
“I was not allowed to negotiate with the teams on the contract until they came to an agreement,” Rosenhaus added. “So they first reached a trade deal with the Jets. We started talking to the Jets. And Tyrek seriously considered it. I told the other teams that we were close to a deal with the Jets.
“It was then that the Dolphins negotiated a deal with the Chiefs. And then we started negotiations with the Dolphins. … We negotiated with them almost all night, that is, on Tuesday evening. And then [Wednesday] … we made a deal.”
The Dolphins traded a five-draft package to the Chiefs, including the first round.