The Kansas City Chiefs are running out of time to add a wide receiver before the NFL trade deadline. The Jaguars have rebuffed the team’s attempts at acquiring WR Brian Thomas Jr., their preferred choice at the position.

If Kansas City doesn’t make a move, options for adding to the wide receiver room on the free-agent market are slim. However, one familiar name remains on the free agent market: Tyreek Hill.

Naturally, adding Hill comes with a few complications.

Former Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill is still not medically cleared, but could be in a few weeks

On “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday, Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus addressed his client’s situation. He confirmed Hill has not yet been medically cleared to return, but said the wide receiver remains on track to play during the 2026 NFL season.

“Right now, I’m still working the phones for Tyreek Hill,” Rosenhaus said. “And as soon as Tyreek is healthy and is cleared medically, I’m letting teams know, ‘Hey, remember, you may not have to trade for a receiver. You could just go sign Tyreek whenever we get that medical clearance.’ Which we hope will be soon. And at the end of the day, I think Tyreek is close, as we’re looking at him right now. I think he’s going to make a great comeback. I do think he’s close to getting cleared. He hasn’t been cleared yet, but when we get that okay, I expect him to be playing and making things happen this season.”

Asked whether the next few weeks is a good guess for Hill’s return, Rosenhaus confirmed that timeline. There is some reason for skepticism in those comments, though. Rosenhaus has offered a previous timeline for Hill’s return, and it hasn’t materialized. Rosenhaus said he hasn’t pressured his client because he understands the severity of the injury Hill is trying to come back from.

“It is, Pat,” Rosenhaus said. “I do think it’s within the next few weeks, and I’ve never pressured Tyreek because it’s a tough injury that he had. And look, we’re still waiting for guys like (Packers OLB) Micah Parsons to come back, and to put things in comparison, you know, Tyreek, he had a tough injury, and he’s still on course, but it is going to be a few weeks.”

Hill’s return isn’t just about health and football

For Hill, the equation isn’t entirely about health and football. He recently went through a very public civil divorce trial, and McAfee asked Rosenhaus whether that would affect Hill’s ability to return to the league.

Rosenhaus said they are optimistic the divorce proceedings won’t impact Hill’s future in the NFL.

“As far as the civil case, it was relating to a divorce case and his soon-to-be ex-wife,” Rosenhaus said. “The league is aware of it. The teams are aware of it, and we’re optimistic that hopefully that’s not going to impact his future in the NFL.”

If that’s true, the physical side of things becomes the primary hurdle. Until Hill gets medical clearance, any team interested in signing him would be betting on a timeline that has already slipped once.

Why the Chiefs could still make sense for Tyreek Hill

The one thing Kansas City might have going for it, if this truly is the backup plan at wide receiver, is Hill’s familiarity with the organization. He knows the coaches, the system, and the scheme. Realistically, he could slot in quickly without much ramp-up time on the mental side.

The physical element is a different story. Hill hasn’t played football since suffering his severe knee injury, and that’s a significant layoff for any player, let alone one whose game was built on speed. Getting his football legs back under him will be the hardest part of his return, far more than learning any intricacies of the playbook.

For the Chiefs, there wouldn’t be much of an installation process. They could simply dust off what they ran when Hill was in the fold in Kansas City. Most of the concepts that made him so dangerous in this offense would likely still be there waiting for him.

That said, a big unknown hangs over it all. Hill was previously regarded as one of the fastest receivers in football. It remains to be seen whether the knee injury will impact that speed once he’s back on the field. That answer will go a long way in determining whether a reunion is worth exploring.

For now, the Chiefs are focused on the trade deadline. If Tuesday afternoon passes without a deal, watch Hill’s medical clearance over the next few weeks. A familiar face could become Kansas City’s best option on the open market. Even with a trade deadline deal, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Chiefs kick the tires here once Hill is ready.