The Kansas City Chiefs got lucky — Patrick Mahomes went along with the Tyreek Hill trade. Another deal of the sort could test his patience.
Mahomes is in the middle of his prime and just lost his favorite weapon. Yet, the Chiefs quarterback is patient and understands the big picture. He trusts the Chiefs as an organization, and Brett Veach and Co. kept him in the loop.
Trading a player of Hill’s caliber is bound to hurt some feelings, but it sounds like both sides handled this the right way.
But if we’ve learned anything from the quarterback carousel around the NFL this past offseason, it’s that the Chiefs better not try Mahomes twice. Refocus on building around Mahomes, rather than taking weapons away from him.
Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes handled Tyreek Hill trade perfectly
In an article by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Mahomes broke his silence on the trade itself. He was incredibly honest and mature:
“It more surprised me whenever it got to the point where we were really considering trading him,” Mahomes told SI. “They kept me updated the entire time; I knew the extension talks were going on. And then I knew when he got the permission to seek to get traded. But I mean, still, I played my entire career with Tyreek, so definitely, there was a little bit of shock when he got traded.”
“At the same time, they kept me involved the entire process, and I know that we made a tremendous effort to try to keep him in Kansas City. Tyreek, he’s such a tremendous player, he got what he deserved. I’m happy for him. And he’s at a place where he has a home and he’s closer to family and stuff. So I’m very happy for him. We had to move forward.”
“We had to move on and try to get as much as we could for him and try to build that receiving room again,” he continued. “And do it to where we have the ability to go out there and compete every single week, which I trust Brett Veach and Coach [Andy] Reid will do.”
Veach has given Mahomes many reasons to trust him, including providing him with a much-improved offensive line last offseason. Assuming Veach can recreate that sort of magic in replacing Hill, that relationship will continue to grow in a healthy matter.
If the Chiefs struggle offensively (as they did at times early last season), and receivers cannot get the same separation as Hill did in 2021 and years prior, then there could be a problem.
Tyreek Hill’s do not grow on trees. Mahomes and Veach know this. We’ll see if the by-committee approach and change in offensive philosophy works.
Should it not, Mahomes would have every right to have a gripe.