The Miami Dolphins and star wide receiver Tyreek Hill appear to be heading for a breakup. This comes on the heels of Hill refusing to play in the 4th quarter of the season finale against the New York Jets, followed by his social media comments in which he wanted out.
He and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, tried to smooth it over, especially Rosenhaus because he represents Hill. He mentioned that Hill played through a wrist injury that was recommended surgery that would have kept him out for the 2024 season but didn’t deny that Hill wanted to be traded.
I admire Hill for playing through an injury. I don’t know if it was as bad as Rosenhaus said because agents must stick up for their clients even if it means fluffing up certain areas, such as the wrist injury. I also don’t deny that Hill has been a great playmaker and has been the dynamic player this offense needed 3 years ago, but as talented as Hill is, it’s the other things that have driven me nuts as a fan with his off-the-field stuff and social media posts.
The final straw for me was not wanting to participate in the 4th quarter of the final game. He basically quit on his team, and that’s unforgivable as far as I’m concerned.
The Dolphins have obstacles to overcome if they want to trade Hill, thanks to general manager Chris Grier revising his contract before the season started. Grier appeased Hill to keep him as one of the highest-paid players at his position rather than having him play out this year in which the Dolphins could have gotten out of his contract.
It amazes me that Grier reworked the contracts of Hill and Jalen Ramsey when he didn’t have to but didn’t have the vision for the players the Dolphins lost this past off-season in Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt, Andrew Van Ginkel, and others before last year.
If the Dolphins do make a deal before the draft, they will inherit a $27-28 million hit against the cap. After June 1st, it’s half of that. The Dolphins would be best to try to make a deal if they can before the draft because teams have money under the cap and can fit him in. Plus, after the draft, things can change based on what happens with team needs, as where players get drafted is hard to predict.
The Dolphins won’t get what they traded for when they acquired Hill, a first-round pick, and more because he’s just entering his 30s. Teams don’t typically give up a lot of draft capital for players in the middle of their prime due to the downside of their careers, especially for a player like Hill, who relies on his speed and acceleration.
For people who say it’s impossible, I would remind them that last year, the Buffalo Bills traded star receiver Stefon Diggs and took on a $31 million cap hit. The Bills were tight against the cap, just like the Dolphins are now, but they knew the relationship with Diggs had been exhausted despite many years of productive seasons after trading a first- and fourth-round pick for him.
The Bills found a team willing to take him in the Houston Texans, but the Bills had to be willing to get a 2nd round pick in the following year’s draft, which is now this year. The Bills ate the cap and got an extra high pick in the future, which is something the Dolphins may have to consider because teams don’t want to trade their picks in this year’s draft most likely, but might be willing to dangle a future pick such as a 2nd or 3rd.
I’m saying this will happen, but the Dolphins can smooth things over in a press conference to try to tell the teams that everything is fine. The fact that Hill and Rosenhaus didn’t come out and say they wanted to stay is telling.
The Dolphins’ NFL Scouting Combine is in February, and teams always communicate backchannel about players who could be available. If Grier wants to pursue this route, he should do so.
It’s time for the Dolphins to take a stand against Hill because bailing on your team in the middle of the game is inexcusable. Hill isn’t worth the headaches anymore. I realize that he had back-to-back 1,700-yard seasons and made a lot of big plays, but He has also dropped some passes and hasn’t shown up in big games for the team.
The Dolphins have to come to grips with the fact that some of their better players, such as Hill and others, haven’t been performing well in big games when the team is paying them and need them to perform to get the Dolphins over the hump. They may need to go through a transition with the team and look to getting rid of players, such as Hill and others, but in Hill’s case, it’s dealing with the headaches off the field and social media.