The 2024 season was a bust for the Miami Dolphins. There’s no other way to describe it. It was also a bust for wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who for the first time in his career isn’t in the playoffs or in the Pro Bowl. And while this wasn’t his worst season statistically, his low production numbers coupled with the Dolphins’ overall anemic performance is something that had Hill very frustrated following Miami’s season-ending loss to the New York Jets on Sunday night.
In fact, Hill was so frustrated that he said he wanted to play somewhere else next season.
During the first six years of his career, all with the Kansas City Chiefs, Hill played in the postseason and was a member of the 2019 Chiefs team that won the Super Bowl. Now in his third year with the Dolphins, Hill hasn’t played past the Wild Card round. This year, he won’t even get to do that.
In order to have made the playoffs, the 8-8 Dolphins needed to beat the hapless 4-12 Jets. They also needed some help from Hill’s former team; the Chiefs needed to beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday. However, the Chiefs had wrapped up the division title and a first-round bye and had no intention of playing their stars, most notably quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With most of the starters out, the Kansas City team that took the field against Bo Nix and the Broncos was not the division-winning Chiefs team of the 2024 season.
The game went about as well as you would imagine. The Broncos eviscerated the Chiefs, winning 38-0. If that wasn’t bad enough, Miami barely put up a fight against the Jets. New York won 32-20 behind a four-touchdown performance that saw embattled quarterback Aaron Rodgers become the fifth member of the 500 touchdown pass club.
In the game, Hill caught two passes for 20 yards from backup quarterback Tyler Huntley. For the season, Hill totaled 81 catches for 959 yards and six touchdowns.
Following the game, Hill let his frustrations be known. According to NFL.com, Hill said he was out of Miami. “This is my first time I haven’t been in the playoffs,” Hill told reporters. “I just gotta 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. I’m opening the door. I’m out, bro. It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, bro, I got to do what’s best for my career. I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.”
The Dolphins paid a king’s ransom for Hill when they acquired him from the Chiefs three years ago. To top things off, Hill restructured his contract this past offseason. It now stands at three years and $90,000,000, with $65,000,000 guaranteed. Getting Hill out of Miami will be tricky but not impossible. And it would save the Dolphins a ton of money and the headache of dealing with a disgruntled player. To make matters worse, Miami doesn’t look like it’s going to be a serious playoff contender any time soon. Severing ties with Hill might be the best thing for everyone involved.
There are some teams out there that would be interested. Keep in mind that Hill is one year removed from the best season of his career – a league-leading 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns – so the productivity is still there. CBS Sports reports that the Falcons, the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Los Angelese Chargers, and Washington Commanders could all be potential suitors in the Tyreek Hill sweepstakes. All five make sense and they each have the cap space to take on Hill’s contract. The most intriguing of those teams would be Baltimore. We have all seen what Hill can do with an MVP-caliber quarterback; pairing him with Lamar Jackson would be a win-win for both Jackson and Hill, and the Ravens as a whole.
More than one pundit has questioned Hill’s decision to go to Miami. It made sense from a financial standpoint but not a from a football standpoint. It’s hard to argue with $90,000,000 but Hill’s comments following last night’s game show that some things are in fact more important than a hefty contract.
Where Hill may eventually wind up is of course uncertain. What is certain, however, is Hill’s – and the Dolphins’ – offseason will not be a quiet one.