Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill says he decided not to sign a contract with the Jets because the state taxes would be too high.
Hill, 28, was traded to the Dolphins from the Kansas City Chiefs in March, but he was also being courted by the Jets. And during a Monday presser in Miami, Hill explained why he ended up with the Dolphins and not the Jets, Fox Business Network reported.
“It was very close to happening,” Hill told the media. “Just those state taxes, man. You know, I had to realize I had to make a grown-up decision. And now here I am in the great city of Miami. You know, great weather, great people. Beautiful people, I feel like. So here I am.”
Tyreek Hill #10 of the Miami Dolphins looks on before playing the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on September 25, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
While the Jets identify as a New York team, they actually play just on the western side of the Hackensack river in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at MetLife Stadium. For that reason, Jets players are liable for New Jersey’s 10.75 percent personal income tax, the third highest in the nation (New York’s tax is 8.82 percent, the seventh highest). On the other hand, Florida has no personal income tax, one of only nine states without a personal income tax (the others being Alaska, Nevada, New Hampshire, S. Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming).
If Hill had signed with the Jets, he would have lost about $3 million of his income to taxes.
Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, speaks during the Aspen Ideas Climate conference in Miami Beach, Florida, US, on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Only two other states have higher personal income taxes; California (13.3 percent) and Hawaii (11 percent). While there are no pro teams in Hawaii, California’s tax rates affect players on the Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, and the San Francisco 49ers. And if Hill had gone to any of those teams, he would likely have lost yet another million in income taxes, making it a four million loss to his bank account.
Hill missed several games with the Chiefs in Sept. of 2019 with a clavicle injury, and that same year he was under investigation for an alleged incident of violence against his three-year-old son. Hill was later released from the charges after an investigation could not confirm his guilt.
Hill ran for 67 touchdowns in 91 games during his six seasons with the Chiefs. He totaled 1,239 yards and nine scores on a career-high 111 catches in 17 games in 2021.
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