Tyreek Hill Talks Difference of Playing WR with Mahomes, Chiefs vs. Tua, Dolphins

Miami Dolphins superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill compared playing with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa on Thursday.

During an appearance on Wave Sports + Entertainment's RG3 and The Ones with former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, Hill explained at the 18-minute mark that Mahomes would freelance and make plays that way whereas Tagovailoa plays within the offense and using timing to hit open receivers:

"When I was in KC, it was big play. Allow Pat to create plays with his feet. … He'll find me. And that was the game, that was the game right there. And we got open. Here it's different. It's all about timing. You gotta be in a certain area. … All your routes gotta be precise. I learned this in year one of this offense. I ran a post route, the same post route I've been catching for the touchdown this year, I was f--king it up last year. ... Tua is like, 'I'm gonna throw it to this spot, that's where they tell me to throw it.' To that spot, touchdown every time."

Hill is in the midst of his second season in Miami after spending his first six NFL seasons with the Chiefs, and he has continued to cement himself as arguably the best wideout in the league.

Hill entered the NFL in 2016, one year before the Chiefs selected Mahomes in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.

Once Mahomes became the starter in 2018, Hill had a breakout season, racking up 87 receptions for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns, all of which were career highs at the time.

Hill's connection with Mahomes was so strong that he was named a Pro Bowler in each of his four seasons with Mahomes as the starting quarterback, plus he was a first-team All-Pro twice and a one-time Super Bowl champion.

When the Chiefs shockingly traded Hill to the Dolphins prior to the 2022 season, there were plenty of question marks regarding whether the speedster would be the same player with Tagovailoa as his quarterback.

While Tua has a long way to go before rivaling a two-time NFL MVP, two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Super Bowl MVP in Mahomes, he and Hill instantly meshed well, leading to the best season of Hill's career in 2022.

Hill set new career highs with 119 receptions for 1,710 yards, plus he scored seven touchdowns in his first year as part of head coach Mike McDaniel's offense.

Through 11 games this season, Hill is on pace for even better numbers, as he has made 88 catches and leads the league with 1,324 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns.

Hill has been aided by the fact that Tagovailoa has stayed healthy after missing four games due to injury last season.

With Hill and Tua making the offense go, the Dolphins lead the AFC East with an 8-3 record, and Tagovailoa is perhaps trending toward his first career Pro Bowl selection with 3,177 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions through 11 games.

Comparatively, Mahomes is having a slightly worse statistical season with 2,917 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine picks.

Mahomes was the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in his first season without Hill in 2022, but with few reliable receiving options this season outside of tight end Travis Kelce, he is on pace for perhaps his worst campaign statistically.

Meanwhile, Hill is strongly in the Offensive Player of the Year conversation, and the Dolphins are second in the NFL with 30.8 points per game.

There is little doubt that Mahomes is a more gifted quarterback than Tagovailoa, and he is more accomplished as well, but Tua and the Miami offense may be the perfect fit for Hill's skill set due to his ability to get open and make plays when Tagovailoa delivers the ball on time.