Tyreek Hill missed the playoffs for the first time in his NFL career after the Miami Dolphins lost to the New York Jets 32-20 to finish the 2024 season with an 8-9 record.
That left the 30-year-old pondering whether he has a long-term future in Miami after the game.
Hill, a team captain, was asked in the locker room what his message to the team would be during the NFL offseason.
‘I don’t even know, bro,’ Hill told reporters. ‘This is my first time I haven’t been in the playoffs. I mean for me, like I said man, I just gotta do what’s best for me and my family, dawg. If that’s here, or wherever the case may be, man, I’m going to open the door for myself, dawg. I’m opening the door. Like, I’m out, bruh.’
This demonstrated a marked shift from Hill’s comments about the Dolphins earlier in the 2024 NFL season. He was the subject of trade rumors when Miami’s offense struggled without Tua Tagovailoa, but he downplayed them, saying he preferred to stay with the Dolphins.
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Now, Miami fans will wonder whether Hill’s comments after the Jets’ loss were a heat-of-the-moment expression of frustration or an accurate indication that he wants a change of scenery.
Is Tyreek Hill a free agent?
Hill won’t be able to leave the Dolphins on his own accord. He is still under contract with the team through the 2026 season due to the restructured extension – worth up to $90 million over three years, per Spotrac.com – he signed with the Dolphins before the 2024 NFL season.
That means Hill, barring a release, would have to be traded to leave the Dolphins. If he is traded, there should be no shortage of suitors for the veteran speed threat, even as he is set to turn 31 during the offseason.
Here’s a look at some of his top potential landing spots should the Dolphins trade him.
Tyreek Hill landing spots
Washington Commanders
The Commanders are ahead of schedule in their rebuild. Rookie phenom Jayden Daniels led them to a 12-5 record and the No. 6 seed in the NFC. He did that despite sporting a thin receiving corps outside of Terry McLaurin, as veterans like Olamide Zaccheaus, Jamison Crowder and Zach Ertz became consistent targets for the young starter.
Suffice to say that Hill would serve as an upgrade over the likes of Zaccheus and Crowder across from McLaurin. That would prevent teams from keying in on the young star receiver while adding some extra speed to Washington’s offense.
The Commanders have the third-most projected cap space in the NFL for 2025, per OverTheCap.com, so they would have no trouble fitting the final two years of Hill’s three-year, $90 million contract into their books.
Kansas City Chiefs
Getting Hill back to the Chiefs is a bit more complicated, but it’s not impossible. Since Hill’s departure, Kansas City has reshaped its receiving corps into a competent group. However, some of their key acquisitions, including Hollywood Brown and DeAndre Hopkins, are set to become free agents in 2025. That will leave the team’s cupboard relatively bare outside Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy.
Hill has instant chemistry with Patrick Mahomes and would be a great mentor to the two younger receivers in Rice and Worthy. The veteran’s skill set might seem a little redundant given Worthy’s presence, but the Chiefs were fire pairing Worthy with Brown during the 2024 offseason. As such, it’s fair to assume they would be fine doing the same with Worthy and Hill.
The bigger question is whether the Chiefs could afford Hill with their $20.2 million in projected cap space. If Brett Veach and Andy Reid want to bring Hill back, they could easily create the extra space needed to do so.
Los Angeles Chargers
Let’s look at a slightly more realistic AFC West option. The Chargers are projected to have just under $75 million in cap space during the offseason and need a consistent receiver to pair with Ladd McConkey, who enjoyed a strong rookie season.
Hill would create a dynamic – albeit undersized – duo with McConkey and allow Quentin Johnston to settle into the No. 3 receiver role, which should be more comfortable for the 2023 first-round pick. Hill would also give Justin Herbert, who had a 117.7 passer rating on throws of 20-plus yards downfield last season, a game-breaking threat who could improve upon what is already a strength of the young quarterback.
New England Patriots
There is little doubt that the Patriots need to add more receiving talent to their roster to support Drake Maye after the No. 3 pick’s quality rookie season. Hill would easily be the best receiver on New England’s roster and the Patriots have a league-high $131.7 million in projected cap space for 2025.
It’s hard to imagine the Dolphins trading Hill within the division unless the Patriots pay a premium to acquire his services. Given Hill’s age, that seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have one of the youngest offenses in the NFL and have built a solid receiver room featuring Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Still, it isn’t clear whether any will ever be a consistent No. 1 receiver.
Acquiring Hill would fill that need for the Packers and allow their other top players to slide into roles better suited to their skill sets. It would also keep Green Bay from relying too much on Watson, who has been a unique downfield threat because of his 6-4 frame and 4.36-second 40 time but has struggled with injuries during his career.
The Packers have $62 million in cap space for the upcoming season, so they can afford Hill, even if making splashy trades isn’t something they often do.
Tennessee Titans
Brian Callahan’s first season with the Titans was a disappointment, as the team finished with a 3-14 record despite getting early-season love as a playoff sleeper. The silver lining is the Titans got the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, so they could quickly retool their roster around a rookie quarterback like Shedeur Sanders.
If the Titans go in that direction, they will need to surround their quarterback with weapons other than Calvin Ridley. Hill would fit in nicely as an upgrade over free agent Tyler Boyd and give Tennessee’s new quarterback two proven outside receivers, along with red-zone weapon Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas is another team that figures to be building around a young quarterback, though their path to getting one is less clear than Tennessee’s. Jakobi Meyers has performed admirably as the Raiders’ No. 1 receiver since the Davante Adams trade, but adding Hill would give him and record-setting tight end Brock Bowers even more space in which to operate.
The Raiders may be reluctant to swing a deal for Hill after their acquisition of Adams didn’t work out as planned. That said, general manager Tom Telesco watched Hill dominate his Chargers for years before taking the Raiders job. Las Vegas has the second-most cap space in the NFL this offseason (over $107 million), so Telesco might be able to convince the organization to take a chance on another veteran pass-catcher.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin has managed receivers with big personalities, like Antonio Brown and Diontae Johnson. That will make the Steelers unafraid to go after Hill if they decide he’s the team’s missing piece.
Pittsburgh needs an infusion of talent at receiver, as the team lacks much at the position outside George Pickens. Hill would be an ideal complement to Pickens, as the second-year receiver is more of a physical, contested catch threat, while Hill would bring some field-stretching speed to the fold.
Hill would be especially valuable downfield if the Steelers re-sign Russell Wilson, who is at his best throwing the deep ball. Either way, Pittsburgh will need to increase its talent around its quarterback to become a legitimate threat in the postseason.