“Suspension of disbelief” is loosely defined as “the act of temporarily ignoring logic and critical thinking to enjoy a work of fiction.” For those of us who support teams that missed the playoffs and had to start our offseason early, this way of thinking can be critical to keep from obsessing about not making the playoffs while simultaneously hate-watching a rival like the Bills make the AFC Championship (gross), only to watch the Chiefs beat the Bills in excruciating fashion and make the Super Bowl…again…for a third straight year.

Ok, no more rival bashing today. Moving on to the “ignoring logic to enjoy a work of fiction” thing: 

We all know that the Dolphins will need to address many issues once the new league year starts in March.

Between restructuring contracts to free up cap space, negotiating deals with pending free agents, and leaving no stone unturned in their quest to scout every possible offensive line prospect that the 2025 class has to offer, Grier and Co have their work cut out for them.

It’s certainly a tall task, and it’s one I’ve thought long and hard about over the last month. What would I do if Stephen Ross gave me the TB12 treatment ala Mark Davis with the Las Vegas Raiders and told me to run the show? What would I do? I’d silently cry tears of joy over my new life-altering contract and then get to work! 

Unfortunately for me, I don’t make it long before Mr. Ross realizes that he’s made a seven-figure mistake, immediately followed by some Dolphins staffer in human resources sending me an email that closes with “we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors” while security escorts me out the building. Eh, it was fun while it lasted. In the meantime, here’s what I would have tried to accomplish in three parts: 

Part One: Trade Tyreek Hill 

If you’ve read anything of mine over the last couple of weeks, you know how I feel about the Tyreek situation. If you haven’t, I’ll sum up my feelings without being as snarky as I have been: Tyreek put himself above the team after the Jets finale, recently doubled down on his actions, and is one underwhelming Chris Grier move away from asking for a trade.

So, beat him to the punch.

This one is easy. Deal him now while you can maximize his value. I’m calling Terry Fontenot on the phone and working on a deal to get Tyreek to the Falcons.  

Tyreek gets a young quarterback with a cannon, a solid receiving corps with Drake London, Mooney, and Pitts, Bijon in the backfield, nine games a year in a dome (counting the Saints on the road), a very winnable division, and a chance to (ahem)…compete…  

The Falcons get to sell a ton of tickets, a ton of merch, and, most of all, immediate hope to their fanbase. They get an all-time, all-pro homegrown star (he’s from Pearson, GA) to come home to Atlanta and play with a young, up-and-coming offense ready to make a playoff run. At the very least, it’s exciting to ponder if you’re a Falcons fan. 

The Dolphins get the #15 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a fourth-round pick in 2026, which becomes a third-round pick if Hill makes All-Pro next season (we’ll come back to this down the road).  

There are a ton of other teams that would be interested in the Cheetah and a handful of teams that he would be interested in, too. Here’s the problem: No matter what they’re offering, Tyreek isn’t about to play with the likes of Will Levis or Bryce Young, and I’m not about to reward Tyreek Hill with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Justin Herbert. Hard pass, “bruh.” So, we meet in the middle. After a short negotiation, Arthur Blank gets involved, the Falcons convince themselves that Tyreek will get them to the next level, and the deal is sent to the league office. Enjoy #10, and thanks for #15.  

Fires have been put out before they can really start to heat up. The Dolphins have two of the first 15 picks in the draft, and addition by subtraction remains undefeated. Part One is in the books.  

Part Two is coming soon.