Time for Tyreek to Get Serious

Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill Still Trolling Despite Down Times

Sep 30, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) runs with the ball during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Tyreek Hill never seems to stay out of the spotlight for very long, and it's not always for the right reasons. And a lot of times it's from the Miami Dolphins star wide receiver's own doing.

So we were back here again this week with Hill taking time in his weekly media session to discuss the video that appeared to capture him venting in frustration late in the team's 31-12 loss against the Tennessee Titans on Monday night and talking about the notion of potentially being traded back to the Kansas City Chiefs, as some folks brought up after the latest Chiefs injury.

The media session also came after Hill did something he's admitted he has enjoyed doing, trolling folks on social media.

Don't believe me? This is what Hill tweeted at the end of the afternoon Wednesday:

I love trolling you nut cases 😂😂

— Ty Hill (@cheetah) October 2, 2024

This came a few hours after he tweeted about "waking up to trade news exciting."

Of course, this comes while maybe the biggest news around the NFL involves reports of star wide receiver Davante Adams wanting out of Las Vegas and possible destinations in a trade (namely the New York Jets or New Orleans Saints).

So the likelihood is that Hill thought it would be funny to put out the cryptic tweet — because, remember, he likes trolling — to make fans think he was referring to himself and the possibility of being traded back to Kansas City.

And let's also be clear that in multiple interviews on various outlets, Hill never has shied away from talking about his love for the Chiefs and his former teammates.

Hill wasn't asked specifically about his "trade" tweet, but about those suggestions that the Chiefs could want to bring him back in light of the injury to wide receiver Rashee Rice.

“I’m just focused on right here and right now," Hill said. "We’ve got a beautiful team here and I want to be a part of it. We’ve got a great situation here, my family loves it, I enjoy it, the weather is great, the fans are great. So we’ve got a beautiful situation here. Obviously, my parents always taught me control the controllables, and I only can control so much. So with that being said, we all know the NFL is a business. Whatever happens, happens. Moving forward, I would love to be here. I love being here. I love the guys. I love my locker mate, Jevón Holland, he’s a maniac. He’s the guy. He brings me nice snacks sometimes.”

Of course, Hill had said previously he did not want to be traded, and that was before the Dolphins restructured his contract to guarantee the final three years of his contract.

And the likelihood of a trade is microscopic anyway because of the financial commitment the Dolphins have made to him.

Hill also was asked about the clip showing him looking agitated on the sideline toward the end of the brutal loss against Tennessee.

Tyreek Hill's frustration has more to do with this game...

He can see his team's season slipping away and we're barely into October. It doesn't make it right but it's understandable...#FinsUp | #NFL pic.twitter.com/LB9cByrHAp

— BetUS Pro Football (@BetUSProFB) October 1, 2024

“I’m at a good spot in my life, man," Hill said. "I wouldn’t refer to it as shouting, that’s just me just motivating my teammates. I was simply telling 25 (Jaylen Wright) that we need more of that, because he had a great run there toward the end of the game. I was like, ‘I need more of that. I need more of that 25. No. 9, I need more of that. I need more of that 18.’ That’s just me motivating my team. There’s no ill will. Me personally, my teammates know me, I never break down and I never call nobody out in that moment. If I’ve got a problem with somebody, I’ll pull them to the side and tell you what’s going on. That’s the man that parents raised. But I was simply just saying, ’25, I need more of that,’ because dude was balling and he was the spark for the offense.”

Hill obviously was frustrated about the events of the night because he left Hard Rock Stadium before speaking with reporters, which may be good in one way if he kept him from saying something out of frustration he later would regret but also not a good look because he's one of the eight team captains.

If you look at the clip, it showed the Dolphins were facing a fourth-and-11 trailing 22-6 with 5:36 left in the fourth quarter after yet another illegal shift penalty. With Hill on the sideline, Tyler Huntley had an 18-yard completion to Jaylen Waddle to keep alive the drive that ended with Huntley's touchdown run.

Wright had runs of 20, 6 and minus-2 yards earlier in the drive.

“No, it wasn’t frustration," Hill insisted. "That was just me just motivating my teammates and saying I need more of that.

"You know what man? We need some professional lip readers in this world because you know what’s crazy is my mom sent me that same video. She was like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ I’m like, ‘Um, nothing? You know how I get during football,’ it’s me motivating my teammates, me just showing my passion and me just being a leader because we want to win. If 25 is rolling or whoever is rolling, I’m going to say, ‘Keep that train rolling. Keep that train rolling. Keep feeding him Coach. Let’s go, let’s go.’ See, if you read my lips right there, you’d probably think I said something crazy. Put that on mute."

SHOULD BE TYREEK TIME

This, of course, is all happening while Hill is going through the worst three-game stretch of his career as a starter.

To be fair, Hill's numbers Monday night would have been a lot more respectable had Huntley not overthrown him when he got behind L'Jarius Sneed in the third quarter and he's also the victim of his own success, with opposing defenses making it a point to make sure he's not the one who's going to defeat them.

But Hill hasn't performed up to his standards, either, the latest nasty example coming Monday night when he not only dropped that short backward pass from Huntley but then didn't make much of an effort to get the loose ball on the ground before defensive end recovered it for the Titans.

Considering the timing and chemistry he had with Tua Tagovailoa and the massive drop-off at quarterback for the Dolphins, it probably was inevitable that his numbers would fall off to a certain degree, but not to this degree.

And, truth be told, it just seems that something has been off with Hill from the start of the season.

There have been distractions for sure, starting with the unfortunate incident involving the police right before the season opener at Hard Rock Stadium to last week when his grandfather in Georgia was impacted by Hurricane Helene.

And Hill said after the opener when he had the 80-yard touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars that playing a game was the cure to get his mind off things.

So maybe Hill's issues aren't about distractions.

What's certain is that Hill isn't having a Tyreek Hill season so far and we'll go ahead and say he's frustrated about it.

We'll also say that maybe, just maybe, Tyreek should lay off the trolling for a bit. Right or wrong, it's just not a good look.