The Tyreek Hill blockbuster trade to the Miami Dolphins came from out of nowhere. It was mentioned that he and the Chiefs were at an impasse on an extension on Tuesday and by Wednesday he was in South Beach.
With Davante Adams resetting the wide receiver market, K.C. decided against trying to sign Hill to an extension. The move could have varying ramifications for both franchises, and especially the two signal callers, Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa.
According to FS1 personality Skip Bayless the trade could affect both quarterbacks’ careers in different ways:
Tyreek Hill traded from Chiefs to Dolphins, @RealSkipBayless reacts:
"Both Tua and Mahomes are about to get exposed to different degrees. Mahomes will get exposed a little bit, but this will be career-threatening for Tua." pic.twitter.com/E1FyxkMLM6
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 24, 2022
“I believe both these quarterbacks are about to get exposed to different degrees. Mahomes, I’ll say a little bit and Tua a whole lot. It’s going to be career-threatening for Tua because, all of a sudden, he’s on the hot seat in the National Football League. They have done everything they could. They have opened the checkbooks. They have broken the bank.”
“They can’t do much more than they just did to make Tua a success.”
Tagovailoa Faces Pressure To Succeed
For Tagovailoa, Year Three is a now-or-never scenario, after the Dolphins surrendered a ton of draft capital to add the league’s most dynamic wide receiver in six-time Pro Bowl player Hill. The team still has second-year and budding star wideout Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker and tight end Mike Gisecki in the passing game.
GM Chris Grier also added running backs Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert via free agency. Grier then shored up the offensive line by adding tackle Terron Armstead, a three-time Pro Bowl participant and former All-Pro.
And if Tua falters, the Fins have journeyman Teddy Bridgewater waiting in the wings to fill the void.
Tua heads into 2022 with no excuses. He either proves he belongs or he’s out in South Beach. Tagovailoa hasn’t seen this type of weaponry since his days in Tuscaloosa when he had the likes of Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs and Najee Harris.
Mahomes Faces Pressure To Sustain
For Mahomes it’s simple. How do I play without a guy who’s made the game easy for me since my first start in 2018, by taking so much coverage every down? While he still has Kelce, he and the Chiefs brain trust have to know teams will now focus their defensive game plan to stop him.
And of course, they’ll say all the right things, but no one in football does what Hill does better; create explosive plays. Since Mahomes became the starter, Hill has been on the field for 146 of his 179 touchdown passes.
That’s nearly 80 percent. But he has Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy, who know how to create offense, and find other ways for him to be successful. Adding an X-factor in former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was a solid move in anticipation of Hill leaving.
Dolphins Also Did This To Help New Coach Mike McDaniel Succeed
Since the questionable firing of Brian Flores, the Dolphins have been under the microscope. They then hired Niners offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and they’re going to do all they can to make sure he’s successful, especially with how things ended with Flores’ discrimination lawsuit.
McDaniel is supposed to be the next big thing as far offensive minds go in the league, and he received a glowing recommendation from his former boss Kyle Shahahan. The fact that McDaniel was even hired over other qualified candidates is mind-boggling, considering he’s never called a play. But Miami considers him a can’t-miss offensive guru and are going the extra mile to make him comfortable and competitive.
Both QBs will have high expectations, but we’ve seen how great Mahomes is already. Now we need to see the accurate, smooth passing of Tua that we witnessed for three seasons under Nick Saban at Alabama, disproving the rumblings that injuries suffered late in his college career have stunted his growth and lessened his physical advantages.
