Chiefs Respond to Tyreek Hill’s Message Ahead of Week 9 Game

Chiefs Respond to Tyreek Hill’s Message Ahead of Week 9 Game
On top of the conference supremacy and international location storylines entering the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 9 game against the Miami Dolphins, there’s another element hanging over the contest as well. For the first time since he was traded last spring, wide receiver Tyreek Hill will be on the same field as the Chiefs. Not as a teammate, though. He’s an enemy on Sunday. With that said, things are mostly amicable between Kansas City and its former superstar wideout. Hill spoke highly about the Chiefs earlier this week, saying he enjoyed his time with the franchise but also promising that they’d “get this work work” in this weekend’s pivotal matchup. Head coach Andy Reid isn’t feeding into those comments, instead praising the veteran pass catcher for his production well into his eighth season. “Yeah, how great is he?” Reid said on Friday. “He’s a heck of a player, and they’ve got a few of those. They’ve got a couple of great players on that team offensively and defensively. Tyreek we’re familiar with — he’s been doing this a long time at a very high level, and he hasn’t slowed down. He’s putting up great numbers. Our guys know that. It’s a great challenge for us and our secondary to work against him. That’s what we’re practicing for.” Quarterback Patrick Mahomes echoed the same sentiment as Reid, adding that Hill is his “brother” and someone he “built a great relationship” with while he was a member of the Chiefs. The trade not only allowed Hill to secure the contract he wanted and be closer to home, but it netted Kansas City a multitude of draft picks that ended up playing critical roles  route to the club’s run to Super Bowl LVII. It’s a rare win-win trade involving a superstar, even as Hill’s Dolphins have yet to make a deep playoff push.

Related: Tyreek Hill on Facing Chiefs and Wanting to Play at Arrowhead: ‘The Cheetah is Back” It’s possible that the push will happen this year. Miami’s offense is perhaps the league’s best under up-and-coming head coach Mike McDaniel, with Hill and Jaylen Waddle being one of the better one-two wideout punches in the sport. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is enjoying a very successful fourth season, getting MVP buzz right alongside Hill. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was asked about Hill’s recent messages to his old squad, reiterating that his side is ready to roll and give Hill a battle. “Tyreek is a funny guy, man,” Kelce said. “He’s a fun guy. He likes to say his piece. He’s always been like that, even just playing basketball in the locker room in Kansas City. And I’ve seen him lose a lot of those games, so I’ll leave it at that and know that he’s going to get a team that’s ready to fight and ready to go all four quarters. If it has to go into OT (overtime), then it has to go. I know we’re ready, we’re prepared and it’s going to be a heck of a game for everybody watching here in Germany.” Defensive tackle Chris Jones, a member of the Chiefs’ 2016 NFL Draft class, came into the league at the same time as Hill. They grew up together over their first handful of years with the team, helping bring home a championship. Both players elevated their respective games in 2022, albeit Jones did so on another Super Bowl-winning team. Jones said on Friday that he’s a supporter of Hill’s competitive flair. On the other hand, it’ll soon be time to back up the talk. “Listen, man, we’ve still got a game to play,” Jones said. “As much as I love Tyreek, sometimes we just talk a lot. We just talk, talk, talk. I understand, you know, he wants to rile this crowd up, and I support it. But at the end of the day, when the pads come on and those lights go on, we’ve still got to line up and play, right? Looking forward to it.” Reid also knows it, playfully reminding everyone that he isn’t rooting for Hill on Sunday. “I always got along good with Tyreek,” Reid said. “Heck, I’m one of his biggest fans as long as we’re not in Germany playing him. He’s a good kid.”