Tyreek Hill just wants to play ball.
During an offseason period when the business side of the NFL is in full swing, it’s understandable that the Kansas City Chiefs speedster would want to focus his attention on helping his team reach a third consecutive Super Bowl in 2021. However, the three-time All-Pro revealed this week that he is among a handful of Chiefs stars approached by the club about restructuring his current contract.
Hill didn’t divulge too many details during an interview with FOX 4 Kansas City while at a local Kansas City Boys & Girls Club community event, however, he did acknowledge his decision to decline a restructure.
“Believe this or not, I’m not going to get too much into the details on it, the Chiefs did ask me to restructure,” Hill told FOX 4 reporter Pat McGonigle on Thursday. “Me and my family, we just thought that [wasn’t] the best situation for me. So, it is what it is. Like I said, I’m just here to play football. I just let my family and my agent deal with all that because I feel like if I get into that, then all the fun will be taken out of it for me. So I just want to play ball.
“I just don’t get into all that. Once I sign, I’m signed. I don’t want to get into that no more because it’s a hassle.”
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Hill Accounts for $15.8M Cap Hit in 2021
Hill, 27, is entering his sixth NFL season represented by super agent Drew Rosenhaus. Contractually, Hill is now in year two of the three-year, $54 million extension he signed in September 2019. While a restructure could have proved beneficial to general manager Brett Veach and company in the immediate short term, by no means is Hill or any other rostered player obligated to cooperate with the team’s request in this instance.
To be clear though, accepting a restructure would not have resulted in Hill taking a discount now or in the remaining years of his deal. Oftentimes, restructuring can lead to improved cash flow for both the player and team, though the downside in some transactions comes when NFL teams risk pushing larger sums of money into future years.
With the new league year commencing this past Wednesday, a number of annual bonuses kicked in for the former fifth-rounder on Friday, according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry.
Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill’s $2,135,500 2021 reporting bonus and $9.75M of 53-man/injured reserve/physically unable to perform 2021 per game roster bonuses are fully guaranteed today. $835,000 of his $990,000 2021 base salary is also completely secure.
In 2021, he’ll count for $15.8 million against the Chiefs’ salary cap, a reasonable number for a player of his talent and production. However, similar to the deals of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones — all of whom restructured in recent days — the Chiefs’ front office was likely targeting Hill’s bloated $11.9 million roster bonus, which can easily be converted into a signing bonus to free up additional spending power this offseason.
With that number now locked in as of Friday, Hill will play out this season under his original agreed-upon terms. Given he posted a career and team-high 17 touchdowns (15 receiving), tied a personal best with 87 receptions and made his fifth-straight Pro Bowl in 2020, it’s a fair position for Hill to take.
‘Cheetah’ Pays a Visit to Local Boys & Girls Club
Before the issue of his contract came up, Hill was out and about showing his support for the community. On Thursday, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City selected two winners to participate in the statewide Youth of the Year competition.
Hill, who has visited the B&GC location three times in the past year according to President and CEO Dr. Dred Scott, was on hand to recognize and speak to the young winners.
“I feel like it’s my purpose here on this earth, obviously to play football, but given this platform, given this opportunity, you also want to inspire while you’re doing it,” Hill said, via FOX 4.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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Tyreek Hill Sounds off on Chiefs’ Contract Request: ‘It’s a Hassle’