Tyreek Hill had his money on his mind when he made his decision.
The speedy wideout was traded from the Chiefs to the Dolphins this past offseason, but this was a case where he had some control of the destination on the basis of agreeing to a contract extension with his new team before the deal was complete.
With the Jets hosting the Dolphins this Sunday, the question of why Hill picked Miami resurfaced, and he gave a blunt answer.
“It was very close to happening,” Hill told reporters on Monday, about nearly playing for the Jets. “Just those state taxes man. I had to make a grown-up decision.”
Florida has no state income taxes. New Jersey has a marginal income tax of 10.75 percent for individuals making more than $5 million per year. Hill is slated to make $30 million per year on his contract, and his state income taxes if he played for the Jets would total about $3 million per year.
Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus previously acknowledged that his client almost became a Jet.
“There was a time when we were talking to [the Jets] — it was almost a done deal,” Rosenhaus said this past March. “So the Dolphins got in in the nick of time there to get this done, and I give them a lot of credit because a lot goes into this type of contract.”
Hill later denied he nearly picked the Jets.
“How close was I? Who? The Jets?” Hill asked. “I knew I was going to pick Miami no matter what because I’m basically from here, I’m here all the time. This is home for me, for us.”
Hill later compared Zach Wilson and Tua Tagovailoa, touting the latter’s accuracy.
“Zach Wilson is a dog, but I’d rather play with the most accurate quarterback in the NFL,” Hill said in July.
Hill’s confidence in Tagovailoa has paid off in personal statistics so far — at the quarter mark of his first season in Miami, Hill leads the NFL with 477 receiving yards. Bills wideout Stefon Diggs is second, with 406.
However, Tagovailoa is out at least this week versus the Jets due to the concussion he sustained against the Bengals, and Miami coach Mike McDaniel was not able to provide a definite timeline for the quarterback’s return.