Mahomes surprised by Hill's criticism of Chiefs: 'We loved Tyreek here'

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Thursday that he was "surprised a little" when former teammate Tyreek Hill aired his frustrations about his time in Kansas City.

Hill said the Chiefs failed to utilize him enough and weren't willing to negotiate near the $25 million-$26 million annual figure that he was looking for in an extension. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver made the comments on the first episode of his new podcast, "It Needed To Be Said," which was released last Friday.

"We loved Tyreek here, we've always loved him, we still love him," said Mahomes.

He added: "I'm sure it had something to do with trying to get his podcast some stuff and get it rolling. But definitely, I still love Tyreek, he's a one-of-a-kind player. But as you know in coach (Andy) Reid's offense, it takes the whole team. ... It's an offense that's more than one player, and that includes myself."

Mahomes said he hasn't spoken to Hill since the podcast came out, but noted that they ran into each other at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix in May.

Hill had a career-high 111 receptions for 1,239 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021.

However, his workload declined as the season went on. After seeing 11.1 targets per game across the first 11 games, his average dropped to 7.2 targets per game for the final nine matchups (including playoffs).

Hill also asserted that Tua Tagovailoa, his new quarterback with the Dolphins, had better accuracy than Mahomes. The former MVP said he didn't care about the perception of him as a gunslinger.

"It doesn't get to me at all," said Mahomes. "As long as we're winning football games and we're putting up points, I think I'm doing my job the right way."