“It ripped my heart open” Travis Kelce opens up on the aftermath of Tyreek Hill trade
One of the biggest trades in NFL history occurred this offseason when the Kansas City Chiefs traded star wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.
Miami gave the Chiefs their 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, two fourth-round picks, and a 2023 sixth-round pick in exchange for Hill.
We have traded WR Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.
Many Chiefs players were stunned upon hearing the news.
Tight end Travis Kelce recently opened up about how he felt when the trade happened. He spoke on "The Pivot Podcast:"
"I want to say I kind of caught wind of it before it happened. It was eye opening when it did happen because it was like, 'Man, this can't be real man.' You know what I mean? That's the guy that I called my brother and don't get me wrong. I'm happy as hell for his success. I'm so happy because of the big decision that he did make. It didn't just backfire on him.
"He's actually still going out there being the Tyreek Hill that we all know we can be. And, and you know, I can't. I can't say I love that guy enough because what he was for my career caught grabbing all that attention on the football field. It just it made my life so much easier. Then on top of that, he's just a great teammate, man, great guy to have in the building."
Kelce added that it ripped his heart out but understands why Hill wanted to leave, having been offered $30 million a season:
"But it definitely ripped my heart out when it did happen, man I was, I was a little down about it at first, but um, at the end of the day, man, he made a lot of money. I can sit here and say I wouldn't do the same thing, because I'm not getting $30 million thrown at me. That was a year at least. And it's just like you, man, you know what? I know, we got something special here. And I know we got the players and the coaches to be able to keep this thing going."
Both Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes strived without one another this season
When the trade happened, the football world was confused. Why would a player like Hill who was on one of the best teams with one of the best quarterbacks want to be traded?
Nevertheless, the trade happened, and everyone thought that Hill and Mahomes' numbers would decline. The opposite happened.
Pat Mahomes in 2021 w/ Tyreek Hill:
4,839 pass yds, 37 TD, 13 INT, 98.5 passer rating
Pat Mahomes in 2022 w/o Tyreek Hill:
5,250 pass yds, 41 TD, 12 INT, 105.2 passer rating
Hill also went from 1200 yds and 9 TD to 1,710 yds and 7 TD
Both are superstars & will shine anywhere https://t.co/OKzSd9qmhz
The Dolphins wide receiver recorded career-highs in receptions and receiving yards, while Mahomes threw for more touchdowns and yards and ran for more touchdowns this season than a season ago.
While the two shared a lot of success together, they both succeeded apart from one another, showing how truly talented they both are.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Travis Kelce, The Pivot podcast, and H/T Sportskeeda.