For a few hours back in March, it looked like Tyreek Hill might end up on the Jets. They can only hope he does not give them a painful reminder of what they missed out on for a few hours in October.
Hill comes to MetLife Stadium on Sunday as a member of the Dolphins, the team he chose to go to over the Jets in that March trade from the Chiefs.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas tried his best to land the speedy receiver as a weapon for Zach Wilson, offering two second-round picks and a third-rounder to the Chiefs in exchange for Hill and a fourth-round pick, according to sources. The Chiefs accepted the Jets’ offer, but the second part of the deal was a new contract for Hill, who had one year left on his deal.
“I wasn’t allowed to negotiate with teams on a contract until they had reached an agreement,” Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus said after the trade. “So, they first reached an agreement on a trade with the Jets. We started negotiating with the Jets. And Tyreek gave it serious consideration. I let the other teams know that we were close to getting a deal done with the Jets.
“That’s when the Dolphins worked out the trade with the Chiefs. And then we started negotiating with the Dolphins. … We pretty much negotiated overnight with them, which would have been Tuesday night. And then [Wednesday] … we got the deal done.”
The Jets were prepared to give Hill a contract in the same neighborhood as the four-year, $120 million deal Miami gave him. But it became clear to the Jets that Miami was Hill’s preferred destination.
“It was very close to happening,” Hill told reporters on Monday. “Just those state taxes, man. I had to make a grown-up decision.”
The trade has worked for the Dolphins. Hill leads the NFL in receiving yards with 477. The man nicknamed “Cheetah” has shown off that world-class speed early in the season, making Tua Tagovailoa look good. Now, he will give Teddy Bridgewater a deep threat with Tagovailoa still recovering from the concussion he sustained last week.
Jets coach Robert Saleh was asked about the near trade this week and voiced no regrets.
“Happy for the young man, Tyreek,” Saleh said. “He wanted an opportunity to go back home and play football in Miami. You’re happy for the young man that he’s getting an opportunity to do that. Sure, we would have loved to have had him here, but I think things happen for a reason.
“He’s another opponent that we’ve got to get prepared for. He’s an explosive player. He’s got world class speed. His running mate Jaylen Waddle, he’s pretty freaking good, too. They’ve got a heck of a 1-2 punch at receiver.”
The Jets took some victory laps at the owners’ meetings in March for taking a big swing at Hill. It was a sign that they have moved into a different stage of their rebuild. For years, the Jets avoided taking shots at big trades because they felt they were still too far away to trade draft picks for one player. But Douglas showed in the Hill trade talks that he believes the Jets are closer to contending.
The next step when it comes to a big-name trade is having the player want to come to the Jets. It felt like HIll used the Jets in this instance, that he never truly wanted to play for them. Similar things have happened to the Jets in free agency in recent years.
While this year will be measured by the progress the Jets make on the field, they can also take a step forward by showing other players around the league that they are a desirable organization to play for with a strong core that a premium talent would want to join.
But for now, the Jets must concern themselves with how to defend Hill and Waddle on Sunday. One young star who will be in the middle of that is cornerback Sauce Gardner, whom the Jets drafted No. 4 overall. The Jets don’t usually follow wide receivers with one cornerback, so it will be a combination of players covering Hill. But Gardner can show something with a big performance against Hill and Waddle on Sunday.
And maybe the next stud player whom the Jets chase in a trade will want to play with Gardner instead of against him.
Lineup changes
The Jets are about to have their third different starting offensive line combination of the season on Sunday after Max Mitchell injured his knee. They’ve had no continuity on the line for several years.
Despite the best efforts of general manager Joe Douglas, the line has not been able to grow together because of all the injuries. The Jets have gone through 17 different starting offensive lines since the beginning of the 2020 season. Here is a look at all of them:
2020
5 games — LT: Mekhi Becton; LG: Lewis; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Fant
1 game — LT: Becton; LG: Lewis; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Edoga
1 game — LT: Edoga; LG: Lewis; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Fant
2 game — LT: Fant; LG: Lewis; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Edoga
1 game — LT: Becton; LG: Andrews; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Fant
1 game — LT: Becton; LG: Elflein; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: McDermott
2 games — LT: Becton; LG: Elflein; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Fant
3 games — LT: Becton; LG: Elflein; C: McGovern; RG: Andrews; RT: Fant
2021
1 game — LT: Becton; LG: Vera-Tucker; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Fant
8 game — LT: Fant; LG: Vera-Tucker; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Moses
4 games — LT: Fant; LG: Vera-Tucker; C: McGovern; RG: Duvernay-Tardif; RT: Moses
1 game — LT: McDermott; LG: Vera-Tucker; C: McGovern; RG: Duvernay-Tardif; RT: Moses
1 game — LT: Fant; LG: Feeney; C: McGovern; RG: Van Roten; RT: Moses
1 game — LT: Fant; LG: Vera-Tucker; C: Feeney; RG: Duvernay-Tardif; RT: Moses
1 game — LT: McDermott; LG: Vera-Tucker; C: Feeney; RG: Duvernay-Tardif; RT: Moses
2022
3 games — LT: Fant; LG: Tomlinson; C: McGovern; RG:Vera-Tucker; RT: Mitchell
1 game — LT: Vera-Tucker; LG: Tomlinson; C: McGovern; RG: Herbig; RT: Mitchell
Stat’s so
The Jets are 2-2 for the first time since 2017. The Jets have started off 20 seasons at 2-2, reaching the playoffs four times. How did those other seasons go? Let’s take a look at the 2-2 starts in Jets history:
2017 — Final record: 5-11; missed playoffs
2013 — Final record: 8-8; missed playoffs
2012 — Final record: 6-10; missed playoffs
2011 — Final record: 8-8; missed playoffs
2008 — Final record: 9-7; missed playoffs
2006 — Final record: 10-6; Lost Wild Card
2001 — Final record: 10-6; Lost Wild Card
1998 — Final record: 12-4; Lost AFC Title Game
1997 — Final record: 9-7; missed playoffs
1994 — Final record: 6-10; missed playoffs
1993 — Final record: 8-8; missed playoffs
1990 — Final record: 6-10; missed playoffs
1987 — Final record: 6-9; missed playoffs
1983 — Final record: 7-9; missed playoffs
1978 — Final record: 8-8; missed playoffs
1977 — Final record: 3-11; missed playoffs
1975 — Final record: 3-11; missed playoffs
1972 — Final record: 7-7; missed playoffs
1969 — Final record: 10-4: Lost Divisional
1962 — Final record: 5-9; missed playoffs
SOURCE: Stathead