Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said the Kansas City Chiefs' decision to trade him is providing motivation for the 2022 NFL season.
Hill, who signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension after his move to Miami, explained to Outkick's Armando Salguero that he's eager to show the Chiefs made a mistake.
"And a lot of guys when they get paid, they stop wanting to get better. And I feel like when the Kansas City Chiefs traded me, I kind of took that personal," Hill said. "So now what really motivates me is I feel like they basically just threw me to the side, like I was trash or something."
In March, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said a trade was the only realistic option after the sides made no progress in contract talks.
"We came in aggressive [with an offer], and after we got to a point, we just said, 'Listen, in this day and age you have issues you have to deal with with the cap.' So we felt like it was better to allow him to go ahead and be traded," Reid told reporters.
Replacing a game-changing player like Hill is nearly impossible, so Kansas City instead added several receivers to help fill the massive void. They signed JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency and selected Skyy Moore in the second round of the draft.
✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original contentThat trio will be joined by Mecole Hardman, Josh Gordon and tight end Travis Kelce in an effort to make sure the Patrick Mahomes-led offense doesn't miss a beat.
Meanwhile, Hill is setting expectations at a sky-high level following his move to Miami.
"For me, man, obviously there are a lot of areas you can always improve at," he told Salguero. "But my main goal this year is help this team any way I can to make it to the playoffs obviously, and then we're going to go to the Super Bowl."
Hill, a Georgia native, noted he grew up a "huge fan" of the Dolphins, and there's nothing he'd enjoy more than bringing the franchise a championship.
"I want to ride in a parade through Miami, Hard Rock and Miami Gardens and just feel that energy," he said. "That's what I'm here for."
Unfortunately, the Chiefs and Dolphins aren't scheduled to face off during the regular season. Hill's return to face his old team would have been one of the year's top storylines.
A playoff matchup is well within reason, however, and it would be must-see TV.