NY Jets nearly landed Tyreek Hill with hefty trade package

The NY Jets' pursuit of former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill last offseason has been well documented to this point. The Chiefs accepted trade offers from both the Jets and Miami Dolphins, but Hill elected to take his talents to South Beach instead of the northeast.

Some were surprised by the seemingly reasonable trade package it took to acquire Hill. The Dolphins send Kansas City the 29th pick, a second-rounder, two fourth-rounders, and a 2023 sixth-rounder in exchange for the All-Pro wide receiver.

The Jets eventually settled on an offer of two second-round picks that was accepted by the Chiefs, however, their initial offer was likely even more valuable.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported on Monday that the Jets actually offered the Chiefs the 10th overall pick in last year's draft for Hill. There were rumblings at the time that the Jets were willing to offer even more too.

However, Kansas City turned down the offer because they didn't want just one pick. If they were going to trade Hill, they wanted to do so for a package of picks, due in part to the structure of Patrick Mahomes' contract.

The NY Jets were prepared to go all-in on Tyreek Hill

The Jets were prepared to do whatever it took, within reason, to acquire Hill. They offered the 10th overall pick and were seemingly willing to go even higher. In the end, the Chiefs accepted an offer of multiple second-round picks.

The Jets did what they could, but ultimately, the decision came down to Hill. While it's hard to spin missing out on one of the best wide receivers in football into a positive, the Jets can't really be upset with the results of last offseason.

That same No. 10 overall pick that was offered for Hill was turned into Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Wilson went on to break numerous Jets rookie records and has a good chance to win Offensive Rookie of the Year later this week.

As for the second-round picks the team offered, those were used to select Iowa State running back Breece Hall and to trade up for Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson.

Hall was statistically a top-10 running back in football prior to his injury and likely would have been the runaway favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year had he stayed healthy. The jury is still out on Johnson, but he showed promise as a rookie and deserves a larger role in 2023.

The Jets may not have landed Hill, but their aggressiveness speaks volumes. Joe Douglas isn't afraid to part ways with significant assets if the value is there.

If he was willing to spend big bucks and trade valuable draft picks away for Hill, the same is likely true for the team's pursuit of a quarterback this offseason, especially with Douglas' seat heating up.