Tyreek Hill, perhaps the best player on the Miami Dolphins, has expressed his desire to leave the franchise due to their dismal performance on the field. Hill believes staying with the Dolphins would be detrimental to his career.
Is this end-of-season frustration talking, or could Hill be on the way out of South Beach?
Tyreek Hill Expresses Desire To Be Traded by Miami Dolphins
Last season, Hill was a Pro Bowl wide receiver and led the Dolphins in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. His production has drastically fallen off this year and is part of the reason the Dolphins have missed the playoffs for the 13th time in 16 seasons.
“I’m opening the door. I’m out bro. It was great playing here, but at the end of the day I got to do what’s best for my career,” Hill said after an embarrassing loss to the New York Jets. “I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.”
Hill was voted as the No. 1 player in the National Football League before the season started, so the 79 receptions for 939 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 did not reflect what we’re accustomed to seeing from the Cheetah.
To compare statistically, his 2023 season was a hit. He hauled in 119 passes for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hill blames a partially torn ligament in his wrist for his declining production.
The season started with Hill being detained and handcuffed by police officers before the opening game against Jacksonville. He aggravated the ligament during the fiasco where he was dragged out of his car, placed on the ground and cuffed.
Eye-opening comments from Tyreek Hill on his Dolphins future after 8-9 non-playoff season:
“I’m opening the door. I’m out bro. It was great playing here, but at the end of the day I got to do what’s best for my career. I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.” https://t.co/v6BQeRgVoO
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 6, 2025
A lot of blame for the Dolphins’ subpar season has been directed at general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel.
Grier has not brought in the personnel in the offseason to build a proper offensive line to give Tua Tagovailoa time to sit in the pocket and let Hill and Jaylen Waddle get open.
Further, the Dolphins have been through a multitude of backup quarterbacks and failed to develop one in the offseason.
When Tagovailoa missed time this season with a concussion, the Dolphins had a hard time moving the ball with backup quarterbacks Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, and Tyler Huntley.
Hill is upset the Dolphins missed the playoffs and solidifies the 24th straight year Miami is without a playoff victory.
“This is my first time I haven’t been in the playoffs, man,” Hill said. “So I just got to do what’s best for me and my family. If that’s here or wherever the case may be, I’m finna open that door for myself.”
Love fin nation blessing yall opened doors for the Hill family forever nothing ,but respect and love
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) January 6, 2025
McDaniel said there will be discussions with Hill over the coming days.
“There will be conversations that will be direct in the next couple of days… there’s a lot of power in having a team that wants to play together and go for a common goal.”
McDaniel also said Hill took himself out of the game. He was unsure of the reason but said there was no new injury.
“I was informed that he was unavailable… I was not informed that it was a new injury… there was guys on the field that were competing.”
Can the Dolphins Trade Hill?
A deal for Hill would be expensive for both teams involved.
The Miami Dolphins’ options for getting Tyreek Hill off their books in the 2025 offseason are limited. He would leave behind $55,947,500 in dead money if they were to cut him, which is an increase of $28,248,750 over his current cap number. Even as a designated post-June 1 cut, Hill’s cap number for 2025 would increase significantly to $40,378,750 (+ $12.68 million).
A trade is the most interesting potential outcome with a $15.85 million option bonus that has to be exercised by the end of August 2025. He would still leave behind significant dead money in terms of his signing bonus and previous restructuring payments ($28,297,500), but it would only be an increase of $598,750 over his current cap number.
With the option bonus not being due until August, they could trade Hill after June 1, which would actually be a saving in 2025 of $14.97 million. That money would then hit the cap in 2026, but a split dead money of $12,728,750 in 2024 with the remaining money in 2026 is a lot easier to swallow. Of course, it does mean they have to keep Hill on their books until then and have a trade partner willing to wait for that date.
Trading WR Tyreek Hill
(before March 15th)New Team Acquires
2025: $28.65M (guaranteed)
2026: $36M (non-guaranteed)#Dolphins Dead Cap
2025: $28,297,500
Savings: $401,250Hill has a $1M roster bonus due March 14th.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) January 6, 2025
Hill’s three-year, $90 million contract was restructured in August of 2024, keeping him in Miami through the 2026 season. Which makes his decision to publicly make these comments all the more interesting.
A few teams that could potentially make a move for Hill include organizations with massive amounts of cap space next year like the Los Angeles Chargers ($74.4 million space in 2025), Denver Broncos ($60 million), and the Washington Commanders ($102.5 million).