The Miami Dolphins were the lucky winner of the Tyreek Hill sweepstakes in 2022. However, the current situation with the Dolphins receiver might be a stark revelation of what it felt like to be the Chiefs in a similar situation.
Writing in a recent article for Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Kristopher Knox refused to rule out a potential exit for Hill.
“The problem is that Hill may find it difficult to get his desired contract from the Dolphins. Miami has $15.3 million in cap space currently, is projected to be $12.8 million over the cap next year and still has to work out an extension with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
“It’s easy to point to Miami’s status as a playoff contender and suggest that Hill would be foolish to chase money elsewhere, but we’ve seen it before. Hill’s desire for a new contract led to his trade from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022,” Knox wrote.
Of course, the biggest difference between the Chiefs’ situation with Hill and the Dolphins’ situation is age.
Hill headed into his Dolphins tenure at age 28. Now, he will be in his 30s. The market for the wide receiver could be much different than it was last time, setting up for a different negotiation, regardless of Hill’s recent production.
Tyreek Hill faces losing side of negotiations on plus side of 30
Hill has only known individual success as a member of the Dolphins. The wide receiver kicked off his tenure by racking up the greatest production of his career, earning 1710 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. He then topped both totals again in 2023, earning 1799 yards and 13 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference.
Regardless of this eye-popping production, he now sits on the wrong side of 30 with Miami holding all of the cards. According to Spotrac, Hill is already signed through the 2026 season. However, if he plays hardball with the Dolphins, they have a financial incentive to cut ties in 2025. If that happens, Hill will be free to test the market.
All of that being said, heading into an age 31 season, Hill’s value will only decline due to increasing injury risk, and every team in the league knows that. As such, while still likely in line for a lucrative deal, Hill’s seemingly only hope for a raise in the NFL comes this offseason.
Will the Dolphins give in to Tyreek Hill’s requests?
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