The Truth About Tyreek and a Potential Trade

Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill remains more likely than not to be with the team next season

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) runs with the ball past New York Jets cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers (37), Sunday January 5, 2025, in East Rutherford. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tyreek Hill continues to be in the news, with the latest topic being his planned race with Olympic champion Noah Lyles.

But of most significance is his status for the 2025 season, which has become a major source of speculation since his infamous "I'm out, bro" comments, and whether he'll still be a member of the Miami Dolphins.

Despite his tour of Radio Row at the Super Bowl where he tried to make amends, up to issuing a public apology to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his teammates, Hill still is mentioned as a high-profile veteran who could be traded in the offseason.

But if the Dolphins wind up doing that, with Hill's value considerably lower than it would have been last offseason, this would be done almost purely as a matter of addition by subtraction.

Barring an unexpected return in a trade, the Dolphins couldn't justify the move other than believing they would be better off from a chemistry and intangibles standpoint because losing the most talented player on the team certainly wouldn't help them improve on the field.

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THE CAP CONSIDERATIONS

And in terms of benefits to the salary cap, the Dolphins actually would have a bigger cap hit for Hill if they traded him before June 1 than if he remained on the roster.

Trading Hill after June 1 would save almost $15 million of cap space, though that savings couldn't be used until that date. And Hill still would count $12.8 million against the cap.

The Dolphins can get out of Hill's contract next offseason with major cap savings, though. His current cap number for 2026 is a whopping $51.9 million, but the Dolphins could shave $36.3 million off of that by relasing him.

But there's no major incentive to get rid of Hill for cap purposes this offseason.

In analyzing wide receivers who could be on the move this offseason, ESPN's Bill Barnwell put it very well: "Hill is probably worth more to the Dolphins than he is to any other team, given how heavily they rely on their receivers to create big plays after the catch. And the fact that he backpedaled on his comments following the Week 18 loss to the Jets suggests he wants to stay with the Dolphins. Given his guaranteed salary, the most likely scenario is that he'll stick around in Miami, at least for one more year."

Put simply, with Hill saying now he was talking out of frustration after that Jets game (as we suggested all along) and the Dolphins still in a win-now mode given the big contracts they gave out last year, trading Hill makes zero sense unless the team has decided they have no choice but to get rid of him.

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