Tyreek Hill has been one of the most dangerous players in the NFL since he arrived in the NFL in 2016. The 10-year NFL veteran is one of the most electrifying players to ever play in the NFL due to his elite combination of speed and run-after-the-catch ability.
However, despite being one of the top wide receivers in the NFL for much of the last decade, Hill’s age, combined with a slow start to the season for the Miami Dolphins, made him a potential sought-after trade target. One of the teams most often linked to him was his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, but recent events have thrown a wrench into any possible trade scenarios.
A Tyreek Hill Trade Was Never Truly An Option for Kansas City
“Tyreek Hill’s gruesome leg injury ended the Dolphins star’s season, and with it, any trade speculation,” said Dianna Russini, a senior NFL insider for the New York Times and the Athletic. “While fantasy managers and fans dreamed up reunion scenarios, I’m told Hill was never considered a trade target in Kansas City, even as the Chiefs stumbled out of the gate.”
I’m told that even before Tyreek Hill’s leg injury, he was never considered a real trade target in Kansas City.
The Chiefs have a No. 1 receiver that they believe in: Rashee Rice.
And those in the building believe he can make an immediate difference: https://t.co/si4BSfXQUi pic.twitter.com/jGEiH7IlXA
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 4, 2025
Hill made eight consecutive Pro Bowls to start his NFL career before missing the cut for the first time in 2024. Despite playing in all 17 games, Hill fell shy of 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2019, when he only played in 12 games.
The star wide receiver battled a wrist injury for much of 2024 and was playing without his starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who missed time for a concussion, for a portion of the season. While the injuries to both Hill and his quarterback surely played a role in his down season, it was certainly alarming to see after Hill had just caught 119 passes while leading the league with 1,799 yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.
Amidst a 0-3 start to the season, many speculated that Miami could become a potential seller at the NFL Trade Deadline. As such, the 31-year-old wide receiver appeared to be a top option for teams seeking wide receiver help ahead of the trade deadline.
Kansas City’s slow start and depleted wide receiver room led many to connect the Chiefs and Dolphins as potential trade partners for the speedy wide receiver. However, despite the obvious reasons connecting the two sides, the Chiefs had reasons for not viewing Hill as a realistic trade target.
Chiefs Focused on The Returns of Their Own In-House Options at Wide Receiver
While Hill was viewed as a potential option by many, those within the Kansas City organization believed they had plenty of help on the way in-house. The team has been missing its top wide receiver, Rashee Rice, since the start of the season due to a six-game suspension. It also lost its talented second-year speedster, Xavier Worthy, in week one to a shoulder injury. Worthy already returned in week four, and Rice is eligible to return in week seven.
“[Rice’s] better than any trade we could make,” one team source told Russini. “People don’t realize how good he is.”
Rice was one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL to start the 2024 NFL season before he injured his knee in the Chiefs’ week four game against the Los Angeles Chargers. He required surgery to repair his LCL but did not tear his ACL as initially feared.
Through 20 games in his NFL career, Rice has established himself as Patrick Mahomes’ top target, catching 103 of 131 targets for 1,226 yards and nine touchdowns.
The returns of Rice and Worthy will provide much-needed help to a Kansas City offense that has managed to survive a difficult early-season schedule despite missing key offensive pieces. They will join a supporting cast around Mahomes that includes Travis Kelce, Hollywood Brown, Tyquan Thornton, Juju Smith-Schuster, Kareem Hunt, and Isiah Pacheco.
Kansas City sits at 2-2 ahead of a Monday Night Football game in Jacksonville in week five. The team will look to get back above .500 as they await the return of their top wide receiver.
While Kansas City is content with its current options and will seek to make another deep playoff run, the injury to Hill is devastating for Miami, for its roster this season, and for its chances of flipping him if things don’t turn around before the Trade Deadline. The Chiefs and Dolphins will be teams to watch as the season progresses; meanwhile, Hill will look to begin the long recovery process as he seeks a return in 2026, whether that is with Miami or another team remains to be seen.
