KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes said Thursday that he was surprised by the comments made by Tyreek Hill on a recent podcast that were critical of him and the Chiefs.
“I’m surprised a little just because I feel like we love Tyreek here,” Mahomes said as the Chiefs finished their offseason program. “We’ve always loved him. We still love him. I saw him out at Formula One in Miami. I’m sure it had something to do with trying to get his podcast some stuff and get it rolling.
“I still love Tyreek. He’s a one-of-a-kind player. In coach [Andy] Reid’s offense it takes the whole team. This offense was rolling before I got here. This offense was rolling when I was a young Cowboys fan watching the Eagles [coached by Reid] beat up on the Cowboys. It’s an offense that’s more than one player, and that includes myself.”
Hill, who averaged 86 catches for 1,214 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons with Mahomes as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, was traded in March to the Miami Dolphins.
Hill suggested recently on his “It Needed To Be Said” podcast that, among other things, the Chiefs and Mahomes might struggle without him and that he was underused last season in Kansas City. Hill led the Chiefs with a career-high 111 catches in 2021.
He also said Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is a more accurate passer than Mahomes.
Mahomes said he hasn’t spoken with Hill since the podcast.
“I talked to him at Formula One in Miami in May, and everything seemed fine,” Mahomes said. “It’s something I’m sure that he’s trying to show he loves where he’s at in Miami and he loves his teammates. The thing I loved about Tyreek and I still love is that he wants to win.
“I feel like the coverages we were getting [from] defenses were really accounting for him, so we had to go other places [with the ball]. When he’s a competitor like that, you want to have a chance to impact the games. I know he wanted to get the ball as much as possible to help us win. It wasn’t a selfish thing. We were winning football games, especially at the end of the season, so I don’t think he really brought that to our attention.
“It doesn’t get to me at all. As long as we’re winning football games and we’re putting up points, I think I’m doing my job the right way. It doesn’t have to be the best accuracy or the best completion percentage in the world. As long as we’re scoring touchdowns and winning Super Bowls, I’ll take it.”
Reid wouldn’t discuss Hill’s comments other than to say, “I love Tyreek. He’s a good kid. We think the world of him.”