Tyreek Hill, nicknamed the ‘Cheetah’ for his fleet footedness, is an American football wide receiver who, on March 24th, 2022, signed to play for the Miami Dolphins from the Kansas City Chiefs.

 
He started his career with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016. Over the years, he has transitioned from a return specialist to becoming one of the best wide receivers in the country, starring in the Chiefs’ 2019 Super Bowl win against the 49ers. He has earned widespread acclaim for being the fastest player in the NFL and was also selected to the 2010s NFL All-Decade Team.

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Tyreek Hill was born on 1st March 1994 in Pearson, Georgia. After a promising school career where he made a name for himself as a track and field athlete, he joined the Garden City Community College where he played football as well as ran track. He was a hot commodity as he came out of Garden City and Oklahoma State University was quick to snap him up. 

In his solitary season playing for the Cowboys, Hill made 102 rushing attempts for 534 rushing yards and one touchdown, 31 receptions for 381 receiving yards and a touchdown, 30 kick returns for 740 return yards and two touchdowns, and 27 punt returns for 256 punt return yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, his season was marred by his involvement in domestic violence against his then-pregnant girlfriend, and on December 11th, 2014, Hill was dismissed by Oklahoma State for his criminal offences. 

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Roughly a year later, Hill enrolled at the University of West Alabama to play for the Tigers. There was initial scepticism from head coach Brett Gilliland due to Hill’s brutal assault on his girlfriend, but after getting to know Hill better and doing a thorough background check, the coach was swayed. Hill was used as somewhat of a Swiss army knife there- filling in as a running back, wide receiver, punt returner, and kick returner in his time with the Tigers.

Hill registered for the 2016 NFL Draft but was widely predicted to end up without any suitors owing to his previous history. However, the Kansas City Chiefs eventually did draft him, as the 165th overall pick in round 5, making him the first player from West Alabama to be drafted since 1974. He was signed on a four-year, $2.58 million contract that included $100,000 guaranteed and a signing bonus of $70,000. 

Hill instantly repaid the faith shown in him by the Chiefs as he hit the ground running in his rookie season. He finished the season with 61 receptions for 593 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, 24 carries for 267 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, 14 kick returns for a total of 384 yards and a touchdown, and 39 punt returns for 592 yards and two touchdowns. He also clocked a top speed of 36.64 km/hr making him the fastest player in the NFL that year. His performances earned him a spot in the 2016 NFL All-Rookie Team, and he also won the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 12 that year. 

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His fine form continued into the 2017 and 2018 seasons and he was rewarded with a 3-year $54 million contract extension in September 2019. He celebrated his new contract in style by taking the Chiefs to the Super Bowl 2020 and beating the San Francisco 49ers in the showpiece event. He caught 9 passes for 105 yards in the game triggering a 31-20 comeback victory for the Chiefs, and marking the Kansas City Chiefs’ first Super Bowl victory since 1970. 

In 2022, a contract stand-off emerged between the Chiefs and Tyreek Hill as Hill was demanding more than the Chiefs were willing to offer in their new contract. This triggered a trade with the Miami Dolphins, who made Hill the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL offering him a bumper four-year deal worth $120 million with a guaranteed amount of $72.2 million.