Late Sunday, as the Chiefs were landing in New Orleans, Tyreek Hill was pulling up his social media feed, where he would find the self-proclaimed world69传媒檚 fastest man calling him out by name.
69传媒淭yreek could never,69传媒 read a sign that Olympic champion Noah Lyles used to cover his face after winning another 60-meter final at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.
Hill, rarely one to concede the last word, asked if Lyles69传媒 self-proclaimed title came from a Wikipedia page.
Lyles asked if Hill would follow through on a demand to actually race.
69传媒淵our football season69传媒檚 over,69传媒 Lyles said. 69传媒淵ou ain69传媒檛 got no excuse now.69传媒
That69传媒檚 a snapshot of what the first week of February resembles for Hill 69传媒 trading a few good-natured barbs on social media. Hill69传媒檚 life and career reside in Miami now, a world away from Kansas City and what must feel even farther from the spectacle of a Super Bowl week in New Orleans.
Physically, anyway.
His presence is everywhere here in the Big Easy 69传媒 like sitting in front of a high-rise podium on Opening Night, or surrounded by a horde of media outside the perimeter of the end zone.
It was three years ago that the Chiefs made a momentous shift 69传媒 the most momentous shift yet for a front office led by general manager Brett Veach 69传媒 and moved on from Hill, trading a bonafide No. 1 receiver to Miami.
It69传媒檚 why he69传媒檚 gone.
It69传媒檚 why they69传媒檙e here.
The fallout left the Chiefs with one of their deepest draft classes in franchise history 69传媒 the supporting beams, if you will, that rest atop the Patrick Mahomes foundation for what69传媒檚 now potentially the first three-peat in NFL history.
That69传媒檚 the long-term aftermath, and it69传媒檚 appropriate we reevaluate how and why it has unfolded this way.
But in the immediacy, long before anyone east of Denver considered the Chiefs to be villains, they undertook a title of a different sort.
Underdogs.
69传媒業t69传媒檚 in your head69传媒
The trade stunned the NFL world. Heck, it even stunned some Chiefs players.
69传媒淲ow,69传媒 Chris Jones said at the time, 69传媒(Loss) for words.69传媒
69传媒淒amn,69传媒 Mecole Hardman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Even the betting market reacted in kind. The Chiefs69传媒 implied odds to win the AFC West dipped from 53% before the trade to 34% shortly after it. Their chances to make the postseason dipped to the lowest number since Mahomes69传媒 first years as a starter.
The very moment the Chiefs pulled the trigger on the deal, they had Marquez Valdes-Scantling visiting Kansas City. They69传媒檇 soon sign him to a three-year contract. That was the internal response they made public.
The private?
69传媒淚 think the exciting part for us,69传媒 Veach said, in reflection, 69传媒渨as we were entering the draft with a lot of picks.
69传媒淎nd we really liked that draft.69传媒
Ah yes, the draft.
The Valdes-Scantling deal was a Band-Aid, and, as it turns out, it came absent a particularly strong adhesive.
But in return for Hill, the Chiefs collected five draft picks from the Dolphins, three of them for the draft in the following month, and two more the following year. (They also, of course, gained the cap space.)
For years, the Chiefs have relied on a quarterback who performs under pressure. He reaches another gear in the fourth quarter. Or when he69传媒檚 trailing. Or facing a No. 1-ranked defense. The pressure brings out his best.
In one move, though, the Chiefs69传媒 front office shifted that pressure elsewhere.
To themselves.
69传媒淲e69传媒檙e not oblivious to the fact that people down the line were going to say, 69传媒榃hat did they do with those picks with Tyreek?69传媒69传媒 said Ryne Nutt, Chiefs director or player personnel/college scouting. 69传媒淭hey69传媒檙e going to throw it back in your face, or they69传媒檙e going to congratulate you. In the back of your head, that69传媒檚 there.69传媒
It69传媒檚 been the latter.
The class is headlined by first-round picks Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis, two players the Chiefs had little hope of drafting when the night began.
They were so pessimistic about McDuffie being available, in fact, they didn69传媒檛 even talk to him ahead of the draft. Some 29 other teams did. But when McDuffie was available at 21, they swung a trade and pounced.
When Karlaftis fell, they pounced there, too.
69传媒淲e were convicted on George from the get-go,69传媒 said Mike Bradway, senior director of player personnel. 69传媒淏ut we didn69传媒檛 think he69传媒檇 be there.69传媒
Those are the headlines. Premium picks. They spent them on premium positions.
But what really stands out among the group 69传媒 the separator for a championship-contending team 69传媒 is the depth. McDuffie has earned the only All-Pro nod among the bunch, and to be frank, it69传媒檚 unlikely anyone on the list will join him.
But they plucked six starters from that class 69传媒 McDuffie, Karlaftis, safety Bryan Cook, linebacker Leo Chenal, cornerback Jaylen Watson and running back Isiah Pacheco.
69传媒淓veryone69传媒檚 optimistic after every draft, but that one was like, wow,69传媒 Bradway said. 69传媒淭hroughout the draft you69传媒檙e just sitting there like, 69传媒楳an, we69传媒檙e surprised we got him here.69传媒 We felt really good.
69传媒淲e69传媒檙e sitting there in the seventh round still, and with Pacheco, Watson, Nazeeh 69传媒 those guys are sticking out like a sore thumb.69传媒
To them.
Apparently not enough to the rest of the league.
The Chiefs played 10 rookies from that class in that Super Bowl two years ago, an NFL record. By the way, special-teams coordinator Dave Toub was recently watching film of the Super Bowl from two years ago, this draft class69传媒 rookie season, and Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson were 69传媒減opping off the film.69传媒
That69传媒檚 eight contributors from one class. That doesn69传媒檛 happen without Tyreek Hill, and that69传媒檚 actually a compliment to his talent.
They rebuilt their defense with that trade. Their special teams, too.
Which is precisely what has been lost in this unprecedented run: The Chiefs are in their rebuilding era.
The playoff formula
On the night he was drafted, McDuffie had to research the Chiefs organization. Who is the general manager? Who is the defensive coordinator? And who the heck was I just talking to on the phone?
He69传媒檇 completed that research on 29 teams. The Chiefs never showed the slightest of interest before turning his name on the card on draft night.
Within an hour, McDuffie had a request. He wanted a copy of the playbook.
That night.
He became part of a unique group, five defensive backs in the same rookie class. They met at rookie minicamp a week later.
69传媒淲e were struggling, bro,69传媒 Cook said. 69传媒淲e were trying to figure out the plays, trying to find some answers.69传媒
They began a nightly tradition: After practice each day, they69传媒檇 return to their extended-stay hotel, meet in one player69传媒檚 room and study.
Flash cards, and all.
69传媒淲e69传媒檇 even quiz each other in the locker room, man,69传媒 Johnson said.
Defensive backs coach Dave Merritt developed a nickname for them: The Fab Five.
That69传媒檚 just for his group.
The entire class? Maybe the Terrific Ten.
Or at least the Elite Eight left standing this weekend.
That group has never known anything other than Super Bowl wins. They will play in their third championship Sunday. Six of them will probably start, and in the playoffs, that69传媒檚 been a pretty good formula.
A perfect formula, come to think of it.
The Chiefs69传媒 2022 NFL Draft class is 9-0 in the playoffs. Nazeeh Johnson, who was convinced he would go undrafted and sign with the New York Giants, has more career playoff wins than Drew Brees, two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning and Dan Marino.
Oh, and one more career playoff win than someone else you might know:
Tyreek Hill.
