EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Miami Dolphins large receiver Tyreek Hill hinted at a possible exit from the workforce after a season-ending loss Sunday to the New York Jets, throughout which he didn’t play within the closing quarter.
Speaking to reporters within the locker room after the 32-20 loss, which formally eradicated the Dolphins from playoff rivalry, Hill expressed his frustration in lacking the playoffs for the primary time in his profession. When requested for his message to the workforce as a captain, Hill supplied a stunning response.
“I do not even know, bruh. This is my first time I have not been within the playoffs,” he stated. “For me, I simply need to do what’s greatest for me and my household — if that is right here or wherever the case could also be. I’m about to open up that door for myself … I’m out, bruh. It was nice taking part in right here however on the finish of the day, I’ve to do what’s greatest for my profession.
“I’m an excessive amount of of a competitor to only be on the market.”
Hill and the Dolphins restructured his contract earlier than the season started, bringing the whole assured cash on his five-year contract to $106.5 million; he nonetheless has two years remaining on the extension he initially signed in 2022.
On social media, he supplied a message to Dolphins followers.
“Love fin nation blessing yall opened doorways for the Hill household ceaselessly,” he wrote on X. “Nothing however respect and love.”
After recording consecutive seasons with no less than 1,700 yards and 119 catches in his first two years with the workforce, Hill turned within the worst season of his Dolphins tenure in 2024, ending with 959 yards and 6 touchdowns on 81 catches. He recorded simply two catches for 20 yards in Sunday’s loss to New York — his third sport of the season with two or fewer catches after recording solely two such video games in 2022 and 2023 mixed.
He remained sidelined throughout the Dolphins’ closing two possessions of the sport; Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel instructed reporters after the sport that Hill’s absence was not injury-related.
“I used to be knowledgeable that he was unavailable proper earlier than a drive. I used to be not knowledgeable that it wasn’t a brand new harm,” McDaniel stated. “And I believe at that cut-off date, my focus was on the gamers and I did not take the time to go strive to determine extra into that, simply if there was guys on the sector that had been competing. We had been attempting to win a sport.”
The Dolphins trailed by two scores on the time and scored a landing on the drive to chop their deficit to 5 factors. However, the Jets responded with a landing on their ensuing possession to successfully seal the sport.
McDaniel stated he hadn’t heard Hill’s feedback a couple of potential exit, and did not need to reply to “secondhand” feedback made within the wake of a disappointing loss. He additionally declined to offer a further response to a workforce captain pulling himself out of a winnable sport within the closing quarter.
“It can be unfair for me to match emotion with emotion,” McDaniel stated. “Right after a sport when your season ends, when you find yourself preventing for it to increase and with the complete perception that you’ve got the power for that to occur. I’m not going to make a rash judgment on one thing that, once more, it is somewhat cloudy within the warmth of the second for a number of causes. So, I do know readability can be discovered and also you do transfer ahead with conviction as a soccer workforce, and I’ll stay up for having conversations with him this week.”
Hill’s feedback punctuated a disappointing season for the Dolphins, who completed with a dropping file and missed the playoffs for the primary time in McDaniel’s three seasons with the workforce. Miami wanted to beat the Jets and for the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Denver Broncos to clinch a playoff berth. The Broncos beat the Chiefs 38-0, and the video board at MetLife Stadium confirmed highlights of the sport when Denver took a 21-0 lead within the first half.
Dolphins defensive lineman Calais Campbell stated gamers had been conscious of the Broncos’ rating in actual time, and realized they’d be taking part in “for the love of the sport.”
“You play the sport the identical approach. But I’ll be mendacity if I instructed you that we did not discover it,” Campbell stated. “I personally seen it and I do know different guys did too. And does that have an effect on the way in which he performed? Maybe not. We’ll by no means know for certain.”
Despite the disappointing season, McDaniel, who signed a three-year extension previous to the beginning of the season, stated his “full expectation” is for he and normal supervisor Chris Grier to return to the Dolphins for the 2025 season.
Later Sunday, in thanking the gamers, coaches and followers for the season, the club posted a statement from owner Stephen Ross on X concurring with McDaniel, including that “as we now look in direction of 2025, our soccer operation will proceed to be led by Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel with my full help. Their optimistic working relationship is an asset to the Dolphins, and I imagine within the worth of stability.”
