The New York Jets general manager received a call from the agent of a player. He was reaching out to the Jets to see if they would be interested in the star wide receiver. The people were. A five-day pursuit that included a compensation agreement with the Chiefs, an elaborate sales pitch to Hill's camp, and a contract proposal that would've made Hill the highest-paid player in franchise history ended in failure. The Jets knew it would be difficult to get him, but their hopes increased to the point where they felt it would be a close call for Hill. The Miami Dolphins were the team that Douglas chose over the New York Jets. They were disappointed. They carried out an internal postmortem to see if they could have done things differently. "Sure, we would've loved to have had him here, but I think things happen for a reason," the Jets coach said. A deal to the Jets was realistic according to the agent. Hill, who leads the Dolphins with 477 receiving yards, leads the team into the stadium. The Jets are playing a key game against theAFC East. After failed attempts to trade for Hill and the San Francisco 49ers' Deebo Samuel, the Jets turned to their leader in receiving yards as a backup. The trade proposal came together. Sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations say that the Jets' bid fell short. Before free agency, the Jets' personnel department created a list of potential cap casualties. There was a list of people. His future in Kansas City was uncertain heading into the final year of his contract. The Jets started their homework because they pegged him as a player to watch. The Jets had a full scouting report on Hill when they received the initial call. They spent the next 48 hours looking into his past. After working out a compensation package for the Chiefs, they began intense contract negotiations with Rosenhaus. Kelly Kleine has risen to lead Broncos ops.
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The Jets agreed to swap picks with the Chiefs for Hill and a third-round pick. They were able to retain both first-round selections because of this proposal.
The Jets and Dolphins weren't allowed to negotiate until the trade package was approved by the Chiefs. It all depended on a yes from Hill. He was able to negotiate a contract with other teams once he had permission to do so.
The Jets wanted to fly down to South Florida to meet Hill at his home, but they never did. They suggested a video call with some of the coaches, butRosenhaus preferred to be the point man. The idea of teams talking to Hill was not something the Chiefs were comfortable with. The Jets didn't make a big deal of it.
The majority of the time it was Douglas and Rosenhaus. David Socie is the senior director of football administration for the Jets.
The Jets' sales pitch focused on their young talent and how Hill could've galvanized it all. At the time, they felt that a player of Hill's stature could've been the trend-setting player. They made a great presentation.
Keyshawn Johnson was their biggest wide receiver star. They have only had one Pro Bowl season by a receiver since then. Hill was a big box office for a franchise looking for an identity.
He heard a lot of good things about the coaching staff. I think New York would be a great place for him. They needed a big player and a big player. He was the face of the franchise. There was a lot of excitement about it. What it came down to was a close call.
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The Jets wide receiver was reached out to by the agent for intel on Wilson. The quality of the quarterback is important to a receiver. Money tends to drive the deal.
The same deal that Hill signed with the Dolphins was offered by the Jets. The money was fully guaranteed. The Jets offered a bigger Pro Bowl incentive than the Dolphins. The Jets' offer was very competative.
In the end, the Dolphins completed one of the biggest deals of the season. They lost a first-round pick, a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and a sixth-round pick. The three-time All-Pro has capitalized on an opportunity for him to take his game to another level in terms of leadership and tone-setting according to the coach.
"We knew it was going to be difficult, but we wanted to make a really strong offer to try to convince the player and the agent that this was a good place to be," Douglas said at the time.
The teams were the Dolphins, Jets and Chiefs. He said that Hill considered returning to Kansas City. The wide receiver landscape changed when Davante Adams signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. The trade is one of those difficult decisions that is the right thing to do, but it doesn't make it any easier.
Hill is happy in the sun and in the palm trees.
Hill told the South Florida media that he picked the Dolphins over the Jets because of the taxes. I am in a great city in Miami and realized I had to make a grown up decision.
Hill was able to save millions on his contract because Florida has no income tax. According to Robert Raiola, the director of the sports and entertainment group at the New York-based accounting firm of PKF O'Connor Davies, the Jets would have had to pay him over $60 million in guarantees.
Hill liked the idea of playing for the Dolphins because he has a home in South Florida and trains there in the off-season, according to his agent.
The Jets turned to the draft in order to find a new player. It made for some nervous moments.
When the Seattle Seahawks were on the clock, they were worried about losing Wilson because he was the top receiver on their board. They were told that the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints were interested in trading up. Before the Eagles traded for A.J. Brown, this was the case. The Jets were close to moving to the Seahawks. They didn't have to give up draft capital because they got Wilson.
Wilson is younger and cheaper than Hill and the Jets are thrilled to have him.
Wilson didn't know about the Hill affair until a reporter mentioned it last week, but he had heard about the Jets' interest in Samuel.
Wilson hopes he can prove they made the right decision over the next few years. There is time for that. There are proven vets that go in and out on a weekly basis. I hold myself to the highest standards. I don't want to say that those guys are better than me. I know what I bring to the table.
Wilson is not as fast as Hill. The coaches like to refer to Wilson's super power as his lower-body strength. He's hard to throw the ball to because he's faking me out. Wilson is second on the team in both catches and touchdown catches.
He's not the animal.
"He's a little bit different, he runs by everyone," Wilson said. I'm not that person. I am not able to run by everyone. He's a genius.
The cost would've been steep if Hill had been the most dynamic player. If the trade hadn't gone through, they would have surrendered the picks that allowed them to select first- and second-round running backs. The team's best start in two years is thanks to the play of rookies Hall 137 and Johnson 80.
Their salary structure would have been changed by Hill's contract. His cap charges for the next ten years are $90.6 million, compared to Wilson's cap charges of only $20.6 million. They were willing to take the plunge for Hill due to the fact that they still have Wilson on his contract.
So everyone is happy?
"I think it's working out for Miami, but they're further along than the Jets in terms of their roster," said a personnel executive not associated with either team. The Jets are still in the process of being rebuilt. They're still figuring out who they are. I'm a big fan of Tyreek Hill but he wouldn't have been a good fit for them.
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