Tyreek Hill was effusive in his praise of Tua Tagovailoa after the Chiefs traded the star receiver to Miami. Some thought Hill went too far this summer when he said Tagovailoa is more accurate than Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes even expressed “a little” surprise at Hill’s comparison of his old quarterback with his new quarterback.
But Hill sought to clear the air Friday on WQAM’s Hochman and Crowder.
“A lot of people took that as I was saying, ‘Oh [Tua’s] better than Patrick Mahomes.’ I never said that,” Hill said, via Jesse Pantuosco of 610 Sports Radio. “We all know Mahomes is playing a different ball game then everybody. The guy’s an alien.”
Hill, though, was right about Tagovailoa, who leads the league with a 115.9 passer rating and has 15 touchdowns and three interceptions.
“We played against Tua in 2020, Miami versus Chiefs, and I had a chance to watch him sling the ball. And he was completing passes to guys who are, you know, not [stars],” Hill said. “He didn’t have Jaylen Waddle at the time. I was like, ‘This guy can sling the ball.’ I already had that memory in my head.”
Tagovailoa had the likes of DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, Mack Hollins and Lynn Bowden Jr. before the Dolphins drafted Waddle and traded for Hill. Hill is on pace to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record this season.
Hill has 961 receiving yards through eight games, which projects to a 17-game total of 2,042 yards.
“This dude knows how to throw the ball. It’s very catchable and it’s accurate,” Hill said. “Once I got here, I made a promise to myself to be there every day in OTAs so me and Tua could get our connection [down].”
Hill hasn’t missed Mahomes, but Mahomes hasn’t missed Hill.
The Chiefs are tied with the Bills for the best record in the conference at 6-2, and Mahomes is an MVP candidate with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions.