Tyreek Hill apologizes to Dolphins teammates for his end-of-year outburst
Those who wanted, and needed an apology from Tyreek Hill finally got one.
Miami Dolphins’ star receiver not only took back the request he made to leave the franchise at the conclusions of the 8-9 season, but the eight-time Pro Bowler praised the future of the franchise, and the culture coach Mike McDaniel is building during a Super Bowl row sit-down with Fanduel’s “Up and Adams” show.
“I don’t wanna go nowhere. I love it [in South Florida],” Hill told Kay Adams, the host of Up and Adams show, on Friday. “My family loves it. My kids absolutely love being on the beach every morning. It’s an amazing thing.”
That’s a complete reversal from Hill’s comments after Miami’s 32-20 loss to the New York Jets, where he admitted to pulling himself out the game in the fourth quarter, and told the assembled media he wasn’t used to losing, and that “I’m out bro,” seemingly requesting he be traded or release.
Hill walked those comments back a day later during a chat with general manager Chris Grier and McDaniel, and the franchise immediately claimed he was speaking out of frustration, and that the issue was in the organization’s past.
“The competitive spirit of [Tyreek] can represent in postgame in a season, or game that nobody likes.... I was very direct with him. He was very honest. We left it on great terms,” McDaniel said in his end of season press conference. “We discussed multiple things, including, without wavering that it’s not acceptable to leave the game and won’t be tolerated in the future and he embraced accountability. I wouldn’t say there is anything to fix as much as we had to clear the air.”
Hill caught 79 of the 120 passes thrown his way in the 16 games he played in 2024, turning them into 939 yards and six touchdowns. And even though that was a drastic drop off from the back-to-back 1,700-yard seasons he produced in 2022 and 2023, his first two seasons with the Dolphins, it should be pointed out that he played all 2024 with a hairline fracture in his wrist, an injury that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told the media Hill was advised to have season-ending surgery for before the start of the regular season.
Hill declined to have the corrective surgery because he felt he would be letting his teammates down. But the wrist injury, other injuries, and Miami’s struggles at quarterback when Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined six and a half games because of his concussion and hip issues, limited Hill’s productivity.
“We are really building something special in Miami. We made it to the playoffs the first two years,” Hill continued. “Obviously this year was hard but if guys continue to buy into what coach is building, and the culture that he’s trying to build it’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Since his 2022 arrival in Miami, Hill has rewrote the Dolphins record books, racking up back-to-back 1,700-yard receiving seasons as he transformed the Dolphins to one of the most productive offenses in the league. He even earned the honor of being voted by his peers as the No. 1 player in the league in the NFL Network’s Players Top 100 poll.
But now he’s become an offseason distraction.
What will it take to save the franchise from embarking on another cultural reset, which would eventually happen if Grier and McDaniel don’t lead the Dolphins to the franchise’s first playoff win since 2001, which is what owner Steve Ross insinuates he needs to keep things status quo?
“Doing everything the right way, the exact way a pro is supposed to be, which is being on time. Being very coachable, being attentive in meetings. I think that’s the biggest thing I can offer to my teammates,” said Hill, who caught 798 passes for 11,098 yards and 89 touchdowns on offense in the 141 regular-season games he played in his nine seasons. “Being that type of leader, which is what I’ve been my whole career. This year I’m holding myself to that standard. I want to be the best, and that’s what has helped me get and stay in this league.”
The Dolphins finished last season ranked as the NFL’s 18th-best offense, which is the lowest ranking the team has had in the McDaniel era.
Hill stressed that he believes in Miami’s roster, which coincidentally will face a makeover this offseason because the Dolphins have 32 impending free agents, and are nearly $12 million over the projected salary cap.
Miami will need to restructure contracts and release a few players to become cap compliant by March 12. But this is nothing new for Ross’ franchise, which has annually purged the roster and restructured deals to create $20 million to $30 million in cap space, which has been annually used to add free agents.
Last offseason the Dolphins were $18 million over the cap, but created enough space to add a handful of big-name free agents such as Jordyn Brooks, Jonnu Smith, Aaron Brewer, Shaq Barrett and Odell Beckham Jr.
Miami will likely do the same in the coming weeks, building a team around Tagovailoa, with Hill, receiver Jaylen Waddle, tailback Devone Achane, and Smith as its main weaponry.
The Dolphins also have a defense led by cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive tackle Zach Sieler, which ranked fourth in yards allowed and 10th in points allowed.
“Tua is my guy. Always will be my guy, no matter what. I’m sure he understands my frustration. We all want to win,” Hill said “Tua is another competitor. He’s a hell of a competitor and a lot of people don’t know that. He’s a winner and is consistent. I’m looking forward to us continuing to build our relationship even more.
“This is my public apology to you Tua,” said Hill, who will earn just less than $15.1 million in base salary and bonuses in 2025. “I love you bro.”
And we will soon learn if Hill loves the Dolphins, or if it’ll remain a marriage of convenience?
