Tyreek Hill's Contract Talks with Chiefs Impacted by Davante Adams' Raiders Deal

A new contract for Tyreek Hill proved too rich for the Kansas City Chiefs' blood as the wide receiver was looking to overtake Davante Adams as the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver.

Hill's agent Drew Rosenhaus said Thursday on AM 560 Sports WQAM's The Joe Rose Show With Zach Krantz that Hill and the Chiefs were negotiating a new contract before Adams' contract "really flipped everything upside down."

The MMQB's Albert Breer first reported Wednesday that the Chiefs "balked" at Hill's request.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Wednesday that Kansas City was trading Hill to the Miami Dolphins, who will give him a four-year, $120 million extension. The annual payout exceeds what Adams will receive from his five-year, $140 million pact with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Earlier this month, Los Angeles Rams star Jalen Ramsey and Philadelphia Eagles star Darius Slay commented on how the receiver market has climbed significantly in the upper tier:

The same thing has been happening at the quarterback position for years as the need for an elite signal-caller becomes more and more pressing. Patrick Mahomes signed a record-setting 10-year, $450 million extension with the Chiefs in July 2020, and it didn't even take two full years for him to no longer be the highest-paid QB.

With receivers, though, it remains to be seen whether handing out the kind of money Hill and Adams got is ultimately worth it. 

Scarcity isn't as much of a problem at receiver compared to quarterback because teams typically find great value in the back half of the first round or later in the draft. The 2019 draft already has seen six wideouts named to the Pro Bowl, and none went in the first round.

There's also the fact that receivers don't always age gracefully. Antonio Brown and Julio Jones haven't been the same since hitting their 30s. Odell Beckham Jr. was one of the league's most electric pass-catchers right out of the gate but has seen injuries prevent him from hitting that level again. The New Orleans Saints rewarded Michael Thomas with a five-year extension approaching $100 million, which is aging very poorly in light of him making seven appearances between 2020 and 2021.

The market speaks for itself. Hill (418 receptions for 6,037 yards and 50 touchdowns over the last five seasons) certainly deserved to be compensated at a rate commensurate with the elite at his position.

But it's not hard to understand why the Chiefs were unwilling to meet that price tag.