Andy Reid Says Tyreek Hill Trade Was Due To Salary Cap

[RealGM Wiretap]

Andy Reid says the Kansas City Chiefs wanted to retain Tyreek Hill, but the salary cap eventually got in the way.

Kansas City traded Hill to the Miami Dolphins last week. The wide receiver then signed a massive contract extension with the Dolphins.

\"I love Tyreek Hill,\" Reid said. \"There\'s no rift between Tyreek Hill and myself. I thought he deserved an opportunity if that\'s where he wanted to go. He\'s a family man that has a few kids and he\'s got to be able to support them now and down the road, and this gives him an opportunity to do that. At the same time, it gives us great compensation.

\"We came in aggressive [with a contract 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. ... You can go different routes with a player. You can play hardball or you can go about it the way I did, or we did.\"

Via Adam Teicher/ESPN

[Barcs]

"He's a family man that has a few kids and he's got to be able to support them now and down the road."

That's downright silly. As if Tyreek was struggling to feed his family making 5 million a year. NOW they can survive. I hate when they compare millionaires to struggling poor people as if it even qualifies.

[lonea]

Not when he's the breadwinner of the house and he's putting his body on the line every week.

5Mil = 2.5Mill per year after tax... That's nothing for a "professional athlete"

"He's a family man that has a few kids and he's got to be able to support them now and down the road."

That's downright silly. As if Tyreek was struggling to feed his family making 5 million a year. NOW they can survive. I hate when they compare millionaires to struggling poor people as if it even qualifies.

[Barcs]

Not when he's the breadwinner of the house and he's putting his body on the line every week.

5Mil = 2.5Mill per year after tax... That's nothing for a "professional athlete"

2.5m per year is a LOT. His family isn't struggling, that was the point. The comment was silly. He should have just said he wants fair compensation for his talent, instead acting like his family is going to starve if he doesn't get 27m a year.

[madmaxmedia]

Not when he's the breadwinner of the house and he's putting his body on the line every week.

5Mil = 2.5Mill per year after tax... That's nothing for a "professional athlete"

2.5m per year is a LOT. His family isn't struggling, that was the point. The comment was silly. He should have just said he wants fair compensation for his talent, instead acting like his family is going to starve if he doesn't get 27m a year.

Reid's main point was that neither party specifically wanted a split but since they couldn't agree on a contract, an amicable split was arranged where both sides still win. You're not wrong in that Tyreek is not going to struggle personally whether he makes say $25M or $30M per year, but it was simply a way for Reid to say it without being interpreted as accusing Tyreek of being greedy.