Noah Lyles in talks to race NFL star Tyreek Hill to settle beef once and for all

Noah Lyles and Tyreek Hill may be about to give the people what they want.

A good, old-fashioned footrace between two of the fastest and most famous athletes on the planet.

The explosive Miami Dolphins wide receiver — nicknamed ‘Cheetah’ due to being one of the quickest players in the NFL — claimed he could beat the reigning 100m Olympic champion in a race shortly after the American claimed gold at the Paris Games.

That sparked an intense back and forth between the pair that Lyles now suggests is close to reaching it’s natural — and obvious — conclusion.

In a recent chat with Stan Verrett on SportsCenter, the divisive Team USA sprinter addressed his beef with Hill and revealed how a race between the pair could be on the horizon.

“Look man, you got to be serious,” Lyles said.

“Everyone want to jump up to the top…everybody wants to race the fastest man. I didn’t grab this title because it’s easy or I went the easy route.“

Lyles confirmed he was in talks with Hill about a race but only under one condition – the wide receiver has to get past several other competitors first before getting the chance to race the Olympic champ.

The 27-year-old also insisted it wouldn’t be a 100m race, but admitted he could see them having a 60m indoor race since he knew Hill had attempted that before.

“We’re in talks, we’re in talks,” he went on.

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Lyles and Hill’s beef started when the former Kansas City Chiefs wideout said on an appearance on Up & Adams that he would beat the track and field star in a race.

“I would beat Noah Lyles,” Hill said.

“I wouldn’t beat him by a lot. But I would beat Noah Lyles.”

“And guess what? When I beat him, I’m going to put on a COVID mask and let him know I mean business,” he added, referencing a mask Lyles wore before the 200m Olympic final — which he won bronze in — due to suffering from COVID-19.

Hill also addressed Lyles’ infamous comments about how the NBA champions are not technically ‘world champions’.

“Noah Lyles can’t stay nothin’ after what just happened to him, you know what I’m saying?” Hill boasted. “Then he wants to come out and pretend like he’s sick? I feel like that’s horseradish.”

Hill continued, “For him to do that and say that we’re not world champions of our sport? Come on, brother. Just speak on what you know about. And that’s track.”

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After Hill’s challenge, Lyles appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s Nightcap Show and said Hill was “just chasing clout,” joking that he had forgotten Hill’s name.

“What’s the cheetah guy from football? What’s his name?” Lyles said. ” I can’t remember his name. What’s the football player who thinks he’s fast name?”

Hill then laid down the gauntlet of a 50m race to Lyles, a distance he’s much more familiar with.

“Sign the contract and lock in that 50 yard race…” he posted on X.

Hill won the 60-meter race at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships in 2023, reportedly his first race since 2014.

However, Lyles rejected the challenge, stating if Hill wants to challenge an Olympic champion, “you have to challenge [him] in his event.”

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Lyles then appeared to change his tune on the Today Show, saying he’d race Hill at 100m but only on his own terms.

“I mean, if somebody wants to sponsor the event and we’re racing for millions of dollars and it’s on a track and we’re running 100 meters, then sure, we can race,” Lyles told NBC News.

“But it has to be legit. I’m not here to do gimmicks. You’re racing against a guy who has worked his whole life to get the title of ‘the world’s fastest man,’ and you’ve worked to be a great football player. You can’t just jump the line because you’re a great football player.”

There’s no doubt Hill is lightning quick. He’s a former track star at Coffee High School in Duluth, Georgia, and won both the 100m and 200m at the 2012 Georgia state meet as a junior.

‘Cheetah’ also reached a top speed of 22.01 miles per hour during Week 5 last season, the highest speed of any player all year.

With that said, the numbers clearly back Lyles in a head-to-head 100m or 200m race.

Unless Lyles is seriously compromised, the data pretty emphatically suggests Hill is not beating him – although maybe he’d have more joy over 50m or 60m.

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