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Insider notes curious timing for Tyreek Hill's new contract
Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill Jim Rassol / USA TODAY NETWORK

Insider notes curious timing on new contract for star Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill

Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins agreed to a restructured contract on Saturday which will pay the star wideout $65 million in guaranteed cash over the next three years. According to insider Ian Rapoport, the timing of things may have been intentional.

Shortly after the news broke, Rapoport suggested that super-agent Drew Rosenhaus could have struck while the iron was hot, orchestrating the deal less than 24 hours after his client was named the league's No. 1 player in the NFL Network's Top 100 players of 2024.

"Did Rosenhaus wait to do the deal until after he was named the No. 1 player by his peers?" Rapoport said. "I don't know. I'm not going to say that anything happened like that, but yeah, I think it's possible that's exactly what happened."

On Friday, NFL Network revealed the top 10 players for the upcoming season, announcing Hill as the top-ranked player. He's the first wideout to top the list in the Top 100's 14-year history, per Peter Schrager of NFL Network.

Regardless of position, Hill is undoubtedly one of the top players in the NFL. However, surprisingly, he finished ahead of several favorites to win the honor, including his former quarterback with the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes (who came in at No. 4).

As far as Hill's new deal is concerned, it's seemingly a masterclass by his representation and the Dolphins in how to intelligently make a star player happy. As Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN pointed out, the restructured contract gives Hill the most guaranteed money in NFL history ($106.5 million) for a wide receiver without adding years or resetting the market. 

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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