Rarely do NFL trades work out as a win-win. The Vikings trade of Stefon Diggs to the Bills is an example of one that did, given Minnesota drafted Justin Jefferson and Diggs found success with Josh Allen.
For the Chiefs’ trade of Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins to work out as a win-win, the Chiefs will have to find a capable replacement with one of the five draft picks they obtained, and Tua Tagovailoa will have to play better than he has his first two seasons. There is a chance the trade turns out a lose-lose, with Hill missing Patrick Mahomes and Mahomes missing Hill.
No player will go into 2022 with more pressure than Tagovailoa. He is out of excuses with the offseason the team has had, and on notice that it’s win-now-or-else this season.
“It’s like they said with the Rams: ‘Eff them picks, man.’ Eff them picks at the end of the day,” Hill said, via NFL Media. “Bringing (tackle) Terron (Armstead) in, they definitely want to put all the right pieces around the quarterback because the quarterback is the most important player on the field. Having myself, Terron and a few more other pieces that were already here, like you definitely can tell that the owner wants to win; coach (Mike) McDaniel, (General Manager) Chris Grier, all of those guys want to win. We’re all looking forward to the challenge, to the journey, and I can’t wait to work.”
Mahomes has an MVP award. He has a Super Bowl MVP. Tagovailoa doesn’t have as much as a Pro Bowl, something the quarterback drafted immediately after him (Justin Herbert) does, or a playoff appearance, something the quarterback drafted four selections before him (Joe Burrow) does.
But Hill isn’t worried about going from Mahomes to Tagovailoa, believing he can make a difference.
“Tua is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL,” Hill said. “So just his ball placement, getting us the ball in space -- you know, perfect placement -- and us utilizing our speed. Utilizing our best asset, and that’s just being dangerous.”
