The NFL keeps drawing major sports headlines despite being in the offseason, thanks to big-name player movement throughout the league. Wednesday’s big news was wide receiver Tyreek Hill being traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins.
What necessitated the trade was Hill wanting a new top-dollar contract, which the Chiefs apparently weren’t willing to provide. But he got that deal from the Dolphins, who will sign him to a four-year, $120 million extension. (Hill will receive a guaranteed $72.2 million in the deal.)
On Wednesday’s First Take, Chris Russo couldn’t believe that Hill wanted to leave a Super Bowl contender with one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and one of the sport’s best all-time coaches for a team with quarterback uncertainty, a new head coach, and possibly more difficult path to the playoffs for “an extra couple o’ dollars.”
Stephen A. Smith pointed out the obvious: Hill is going to the Dolphins for money. A whole lot more money. Sure, winning a Super Bowl is important but Hill has a championship. Now, he’s going to be paid an exorbitant salary, going from $18 million annually to $30 million.
But the discussion turned funny when Stephen A. drew the comparison to someone else who once left a successful franchise for a bigger paycheck. Russo left Mike & the Mad Dog after a 19-year partnership with Mike Francesa to eventually sign a lucrative deal with SiriusXM that included his own show, allowed him to program an exclusive channel, and provided a show on MLB Network, High Heat.
“I remember this big-time show called Mike & the Mad Dog, it was an institution,” said Smith. “It started sports talk radio. It was doing its thing, OK? But you know something? Mad Dog left! And why? Got his own damn channel! And I’m sure that wasn’t for ‘an extra few bucks,’ OK? You made a business decision! What’s wrong with Tyreek Hill doing that?”
That compelled a hilarious response from Russo, who yelled “I was there 19 years!” Molly Qerim was highly amused.
Mike and the Mad Dog reunited earlier this month at the 2022 BSM Summit, where Francesa revealed that Stephen A. was considered as a possible replacement for Russo. Russo mentioned that Smith grew up as a huge fan of the show, which was indicated in his remarks during that First Take segment.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
