Tim Benz: What the Tyreek Hill trade means for him, the Dolphins, Chiefs and even the Steelers

It’s often said in professional sports that a good trade helps both teams involved.

But what if a deal is bad for all three parties involved?

That was my initial reaction to the big NFL trade announced Wednesday, which resulted in Kansas City Chiefs star receiver Tyreek Hill being dealt to the Miami Dolphins.

According to ESPN.com, the Chiefs agreed to send the six-time Pro Bowler to Miami for five draft picks — a 2022 first-round pick (No. 29), a second-round pick (No. 50) and fourth-round pick, plus fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2023 draft.

The Dolphins will also give Hill a four-year, $120 million extension, including $72.2 million guaranteed ($52.535 million at signing). The transaction makes Hill the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history.

He’s good. He’s not that good.

Hill and the Chiefs had been engaged in contract negotiations, but according to ProFootballTalk.com, those conversations hit a wall when the Raiders gave former Green Bay Packers pass-catcher Davante Adams $65.67 million fully guaranteed. Upon seeing those numbers, Hill wanted to surpass them. And the Chiefs wanted no parts of that. So a trade to Miami was consummated.

In my view, I’m not wild about this exchange for the Chiefs, Dolphins or Hill.

It isn’t good for Kansas City because, for as many picks as the Chiefs got, they are still parting with one of the league’s most dynamic pass catchers in a year when the franchise is still very much a Super Bowl contender and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is in his prime.

I mean, they don’t think JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman or Josh Gordon is the answer as a No. 1 receiver, do they? Mahomes makes people better. But that’s ridiculous.

For the Dolphins, getting Hill is great. But with Tua Tagovailoa under center, do they have the kind of quarterback to take advantage of Hill’s skills? That’s to say nothing of the salary cap space they’ll be spending on Hill and the number of picks they gave up.

And for Hill, I’m sure he’s happy with the money. But he can’t be happy with the fact he’s now catching passes from Tagovailoa instead of Mahomes, or that he is leaving a perennial Super Bowl candidate for a Dolphins team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2000.

Although it is Miami as opposed to Kansas City. I’d take that swap, too. So, I guess Hill makes out on that front.

From a Steelers point of view, it makes me wonder how much the market is now inflated for Dionte Johnson. There is a belief that the Steelers want to extend the fourth-year wideout before he starts the final year of his rookie contract.

He’s not Adams or Hill. But he was a Pro Bowl alternate. And the receiver market isn’t just inflated between those two All-Pros as comps.

Look at Christian Kirk’s contract from Jacksonville. He’s going to get $18 million a year for four years. Johnson comfortably outdistanced Kirk in yards, catches, first downs and touchdowns in 2021.

Given what Johnson could command and knowing his propensity for drops and fading late in seasons, I don’t think he’d be worth that kind of money.

Johnson never exceeded 76 yards over his last six games of ’21, including the playoff game in Kansas City, averaging just 46.8 yards per contest over that stretch. Johnson also only topped that total once in his last six regular-season games of 2020 before going off for 117 yards in the playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers could have Johnson play out the year and franchise him after 2022. But forget all that for now. With Adams, Hill, Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Mike Williams, Keenan Allen and Jaylen Waddle all in the AFC, the Steelers have no one besides Chase Claypool as a complementary threat to Johnson.

With Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud all departing via free agency, wide receiver has gone from a position of depth to an area of weakness extremely fast.

Johnson may be overpriced, Claypool has underachieved, and the rest of the position group is thin. No offense to fast-rising Pittsburgh folk hero and return specialist Gunner Olszewski, but he can’t enter 2021 as the franchise’s third-best option at receiver.

Despite all the other needs present on this roster, the Steelers need to swing a deal for a veteran pass-catcher themselves in free agency or via trade. Or they need to draft a rookie no later than the end of the second day.

Odell Beckham Jr. coming off his knee injury in the Super Bowl? Jarvis Landry may go back to Cleveland. Sammy Watkins, Julio Jones, A.J. Green? They are probably washed up. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is marginal, and that was with Aaron Rodgers.

But it’s gotta be somebody. Maybe a high-round draft choice is the way to go.

Or maybe Pitt’s Kenny Pickett is so darned good he can throw the ball to himself and catch it, too. Pitt fans would have us believe that.

Unless his hands are too small to catch an NFL ball as well as throw it.