MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is still rebuilding his relationship with his teammates this offseason after his comments at the end of the 2024 season.
Hill removed himself from Miami’s regular-season finale against the New York Jets before suggesting to reporters after the game that he would like to play football elsewhere; Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Hill never requested a trade, and Hill apologized for and walked back his comments in February.
Speaking after the team’s first training camp practice Wednesday, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said that building that relationship back up isn’t necessarily a simple process but that Hill is putting in the work to do so.
“It’s not just with me, it’s with a lot of the guys. I’m not the only one that heard that. You guys aren’t the only people that heard that,” Tagovailoa said. “A lot of people that follow football, that follow the Miami Dolphins, that follow Tyreek that are fans of his — everyone has seen that. So, when you say something like that, you don’t just come back from that with, ‘Hey, my bad.’ You got to work that relationship up; you’ve got to build everything back up again.
“Everybody makes mistakes. It’s just some people, they’re in a spotlight and their deals get pushed out more than some others. So just got to cut him some grace.”
“He’s working on himself; he’s working on the things that he says he wants to get better with and do better on. So that’s the first step to me, and so I commend him for doing that.”
Last season was tumultuous for the Dolphins as a whole, and Hill was no exception. He recorded just 959 yards and six touchdowns on 81 catches last season — a sharp decline from the consecutive 1,700-yard seasons he posted in his first two years with the team.
Miami missed the playoffs, marking the first time Hill has missed the playoffs in his nine-year NFL career. He since explained that he spoke out of frustration and apologized to Tagovailoa for his comments. A three-time team captain, Hill said this offseason that he would have to earn his captaincy again this year and that it was up to his teammates to determine whether he deserves it.
Hill also said he has matured this offseason, and Tagovailoa elaborated on the receiver’s maturation.
“I think there’s a lot more vulnerability with Tyreek. He’s conversating a lot more with the guys, not just about football but about things off the field,” Tagovailoa said. “Being vulnerable with some of the things that people know about his personal life and things of that nature. And I think that’s the first step to him. Building true relationships and a real connection with a lot of the guys in there.
“Everyone knows what he can do on the field. Everyone respects what he can do on the field, but I think he’s still trying to figure things out for himself as well. … Everybody makes mistakes. It’s just some people, they’re in a spotlight and their deals get pushed out more than some others. So just got to cut him some grace. I mean, that’s our teammate. We love him, but as a person, if you get to know him, I think you’d love him too.”
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks said that he didn’t believe any trust was lost with Hill but that this time of year is for building and strengthening relationships.
Hill told reporters Tuesday that he wanted to centralize his focus on football this season, rather than any extracurriculars.
“This whole entire offseason, I’ve been busting my tail,” Hill said. “I want to see what it looks like whenever I focus just on football, and I just focus on myself and family. Because I feel like I really haven’t been giving the best version of me, of Tyreek, my whole entire career. I’ve always been trying to be here, be there.
“But me being able to slow down a little bit, train and bust my tail for myself and then also for this community and this team, I feel like it’ll be worth it. So, I just want to see what that version of myself looks like, so I’m looking forward to it.”
