Dave Hyde: Why the Dolphins should trade Tyreek Hill

Dave Hyde, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Feb 26, 2025

Published in Football

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Looming and complicated, the Miami Dolphins face a decision on Tyreek Hill:

Trade him this winter.

Or say goodbye to him next winter.

The third option, the one where they re-do his contract again at age 32, where they spread out the $51.8 million salary-cap number he has in 2026 over a few more years, is hard to see on the table of a good organization, Isn’t it?

That’s part of why when Hill said he wanted out of town in those emotional moments after he quit on the team in the final game, I wrote there’s a bus leaving town every hour. Put him on one this offseason. It’s time.

It doesn’t matter if Hill walked back those words a few weeks later — the mystery being it took him a few weeks to say that. The Dolphins just signed him to an unnecessary, three-year, $90 million makeover.

What matters now is general manager Chris Grier should be doing the subtle work of finding a market for Hill at the NFL combine. There’s no need to openly shop him. But give the thought a nudge when Washington broadcasts it wants a speedy veteran receiver to pair with quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Could they get a second-round pick for him? And structure it for after June 1 when the Dolphins save $13 million off this year’s salary cap?

Hill was the center of the offense his first two seasons. Maybe he can be that again. There’s just too many cross-currents for him to stay with a team that isn’t a front-and-center Super Bowl contender next season. Which, sane minds agree, the Dolphins aren’t.

They should compete for a playoff spot, of course. Maybe they get their first playoff win in 26 years. But you can’t squint from this February and see a Super Bowl next February.

Planning to use second-year left tackle Patrick Paul over veteran Terron Armstead, as coach Mike McDaniel said, is the first nod to the Dolphins moving to younger, healthier and cheaper players.

Actually, it was the second nod. The first was cutting cornerback Kendall Fuller outright rather than saving an extra $6 million and designating him a post-June 1 release.

That meant the Dolphins want the option to use their two allowed post-June 1 cuts on other players. Armstead would be one, saving the Dolphins roughly $19 million off the cap (and costing them $7.9 million against it).

The second, obvious candidate for the post-June 1 tag is edge rusher Bradley Chubb. He was held out from the end of last season so he wouldn’t reinjure himself and make the Dolphins responsible for his $29 million salary-cap figure.

Chubb’s contract would have to be significantly downsized for the Dolphins not to move on without him.

Hill’s contractual situation is more complicated still, but let’s return to why trading him is addition by subtraction. First, this offense hasn’t shown it can support two small, speedy and expensive receivers like Hill and Jaylen Waddle, has it?

That’s not their fault. But when they rank 30th (Hill) and 44th (Waddle) in receiving yards and combine for eight touchdowns the Dolphins aren’t getting value from them. Can that change? If there was a simple answer, wouldn’t McDaniel have employed it last season?

So, the Dolphin could keep the younger (and lesser) receiver in Waddle, and hope he expands into his role. Then, too, sign a decent receiver opposite him. Or maybe draft Penn State tight end Tyler Warren with the 13th pick?

There’s another reason for moving Hill now, and it keeps playing out behind the scenes. He was often late to meetings in a manner that McDaniel didn’t handle. That was just, “10 percent of the problem’’ he gave the team, a team source said.

No details. But something was happening. Something is always happening as this week he was offering a wrapped wrist on social media to show he had a ligament repair.

That’s different than the broken wrist his camp initially called it this offseason. But whatever. It’s just the latest in the barrage of odd storylines since Hill came to the Dolphins.

This bottom line is this team had a country-club culture last season in a manner that showed up on Sundays. McDaniel needs to get that back under disciplined control. One quick way of sending that message is shipping out Hill.

That’s not why you trade him. But it’s an add-on to the looming contract issues and overweight of resources at receiver. It’s why Grier, for all his draft work at the combine, should be working the corners to find the market for Hill.

Trade him this winter or say goodbye next winter.