Hill, ready to face Chiefs, explains his change. And historical perspective on his feats

Tyreek Hill was a first-team All-Pro three times during his six seasons in Kansas City (twice for his brilliance on offense) and was a Pro Bowler each of those half dozen years with the Chiefs.

But Hill said his former team will face a better player — in fact, a much better player — when the 6-2 Dolphins and 6-2 Chiefs meet on Sunday in Germany (9:30 a.m., NFL Network and NBC-6).

I just know a whole lot more now,” said Hill, who had a prodigious partnership with Patrick Mahomes for four seasons (plus one game) during his time in Kansas City.

“Obviously when you come into the league, you’re trying to find where you fit and understand how the game is played,” Hill said Sunday. “But now I’ve been able to learn from other veterans in the past locker room that I was in [Kansas City] and apply it here.

“I know a whole lot more now, whether it’s doing stuff off the field or just being in the locker room with the guys, trying to be a leader in that aspect. I am light years ahead of where I was back then.”

Hill’s offensive numbers were exceptional in Kansas City but they’re even better in Miami.

He averaged 72.9 receiving yards per game and 13.8 yards per reception in 91 games in Kansas City, and scored 56 receiving touchdowns.

With the Dolphins, he’s averaging 108.9 receiving yards per game and 15.1 yards per reception, with 15 touchdowns, in 25 games.

“Every week, [opponents] know he’s the No. 1 target guy and every week he continues to dominate,” NBC analyst and former NFL defensive back Jason McCourty said Sunday.

With 61 catches for 1,014 yards, he’s on pace for 2,154 receiving yards this season, which would shatter Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiver yardage record of 1,964 yards in 2012.

While Hill was an elite returner in Kansas City, scoring four touchdowns on 86 punt returns, he has returned only two punts in his two seasons in Miami. (He also has 14 career kickoff returns, all as a Chiefs rookie.)

“I’m ready, man,” Hill said of playing the Chiefs, initially saying “it’s just another game” before conceding he’s “excited to play against my old brothers. It’s just like if you’re in high school and you move to a different city; it’s still ball.

“At the end of the day, my job is to go out there and do what I’ve been doing all year, and that’s have fun, help lead this team, and create opportunities for whoever. I’m still going to be the same old Cheetah, baby.”

He just wishes the game had been scheduled for Kansas City (it’s a Chiefs home game) instead of Germany.

“I was kind of [upset] about it, because obviously I’ve got so many friends, I’ve got family there,” he said. “One of my sons is there. Feeling that energy in Arrowhead [Stadium] would have been next level, but obviously I understand that the NFL; they want to be more global and they want to send two of the best offenses over there, two MVP quarterbacks, dynamic offenses, and it’s going to be a good game.

“It’s really good promotion for [the league]. But going back to Arrowhead, it would have been sensational.”

Hill — one of the best fifth-round picks in NFL history — trimmed his hair during the weekend, so the Chiefs will see the old look Tyreek.

“I just had to let K.C. know, whenever they see me, it’s going to be problems, because old ‘Reek,’ yeah, he was hell, so I’m back,” he said of the haircut. “The Cheetah is back. I have never been to Germany. I’m looking forward to it.”

Here are more Hill feats through eight games:

▪ With his 1,014 receiving yards, Hill is the first player in the Super Bowl era to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a team’s first eight games. The three others who accomplished that feat: Charlie Hennigan (1,122 in 1961), Elroy Hirsch (1,058 in 1951) and Don Hutson (1,032 in 1942).

▪ He now has 2,724 receiving yards since he joined the Dolphins in 2022, surpassing Odell Beckham Jr. (2014 with N.Y. Giants) for the most receiving yards in the first 25 games with a new team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). A.J. Brown (Philadelphia), Brandon Marshall (Chicago) and Stefon Diggs (Buffalo) are third through fifth on that list.

▪ Hill has reached 100 yards in receptions on 12 occasions in 25 games with Miami — a staggering percentage. He’s fourth on the team’s list of games with 100 receiving yards, behind Mark Duper (28), Mark Clayton (22) and Chris Chambers (17).

▪ His four consecutive games with a touchdown reception is the longest for the Dolphins since Kenny Stills in 2016.

“The most dangerous pass-catcher” in the NFL “is Tyreek Hill,” ESPN analyst and former Pro Bowl tight end Shannon Sharpe said. “He’s the most dangerous, the most lethal, the most feared player of any position in the NFL.”

Beyond the elite speed and skill, what stands out to Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios is “seeing how Tyreek works up close. You’re watching Wednesday, Thursday practice tape and always see him running full speed. He takes no plays off.”

Or, as Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold put it: “You have the best player on the team practicing the hardest, and everyone is following that.”

The Chiefs traded Hill to Miami 19 months ago because they didn’t want to pay his asking price on a new contract. Miami immediately gave him a four-year, $120 million extension with $72 million guaranteed.

Kansas City received five draft choices for trading an All-Pro in his prime — the 29th and 50th picks and a fourth-rounder in the 2022 draft and fourth- and sixth-rounders in 2022 and 2023.

The 29th and 50th picks were both dealt in separate trades that ultimately netted Kansas City two starters: cornerback Trent McDuffie (picked 21st overall in 2022) and receiver Skyy Moore (selected 54th).

McDuffie has started all 19 games of his NFL career and has three forced fumbles this season but is still looking for his first career interception. Moore has 14 catches for 168 yards in six games and seven starts this season.

But the Chiefs have shuffled through receivers since Hill’s departure, unable to find anyone with close to that kind of impact.

Hill and Jaylen Waddle “will work well together,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid predicted in a conversation with the Miami Herald a few weeks after making the trade. “[Hill] can run all the routes. He’s good at all of them. He’s a heck of a player. Great person. Loving kid. He’ll do a tremendous job for the Dolphins.”

And, at his current pace, he’s on track to achieve historical feats, too.