The Dolphins’ Best Move: Trading Tyreek Hill

The Miami Dolphins entered the 2025 season with high hopes, but Week 1 brought more questions than answers. A blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts not only exposed the team’s flaws but also reignited concerns surrounding star wideout Tyreek Hill. Once considered the ultimate difference-maker, Hill is now at the center of on-field frustrations, declining production, and a contract that threatens to cripple Miami’s future.

As unpleasant as it is to admit, the Dolphins have to seriously consider sending Hill packing. His career here in Miami has been filled with flashes of brilliance, but the reality is that it might be preferable to move him rather than retain him. From his age, his attitude, to his salary, the franchise is better off without him.

An Ugly Relationship Between the Dolphins and Hill

The Miami Dolphins have been along for the ride of Tyreek Hill’s roster circumstance over the past two seasons. Hill’s break-it-deep playmaking ability has been met with a corresponding level of public discontent, including last year’s comments where he publicly professed he would not return to Miami. Although he recanted later, the relationship between Hill and the team has remained strained ever since.

Week 1 of the 2025 campaign only made those issues worse. Hill could be seen seething on the sidelines as Tua Tagovailoa tossed expensive interceptions, and his anger reached a boiling point before halftime. A star player arguing with his quarterback and teammates this early in the season is not a good omen for long-term cohesion.

This is not a matter of sideline differences—it’s a matter of the culture that Miami is attempting to establish. A team already under scrutiny to recover from a horrible 2024 season can’t have its most featured player in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. There comes a time when the Dolphins need to sit down and determine whether the theatrics aren’t obscuring the productivity.

Slipping Production and Mounting Concerns

Tyreek Hill’s career has been characterized by his globe-trotting speed and tendency to take every play to the house. That being said, the trend of waning production can’t be ignored. He hasn’t registered a 30-yard catch in considerably more than a year, and his production in 2024 lagged behind his best years.

For such a receiver who relies on burst and speed, even a small decline can be the difference-maker. Defensive coordinators no longer are as afraid of Hill as they once were, and Miami hasn’t been able to capitalize on his skill set to the same level that the Kansas City team had. It’s becoming more obvious that Hill is not the same guy who was unstoppable.

With those on-field problems compounded by off-field problems, there are the credible domestic violence allegations made by his estranged wife that will draw NFL notice under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. Suspension is a possibility without criminal charges, so Hill’s future hangs in even greater uncertainty.

The Financial Reality

But the strongest argument for breaking ties is the cost of Hill’s contract. His 2025 cap number sits at an eye-popping $51.2 million, and that’s a figure that’s unwieldy for a receiver heading into his 30s. The Dolphins simply can’t pay that kind of money without crippling the rest of their roster.

If Miami waits for next year, they might have to release Hill straight out with no compensation. Traded now, the Dolphins create room space while acquiring precious draft stock. Even if the compensation is minimal—something in the range of a mid-round pick—it’s much better than losing him for nothing.

This is a critical roster-building period. With franchise players like Tua Tagovailoa and others needing future contract decisions, the Dolphins need to have some flexibility. Having Hill’s contract run through 2025 would make it nearly impossible to create a competitive, balanced roster.

A Better Fit Elsewhere

Shortcomings notwithstanding, there will not be a lack of clubs willing to sign Hill. Already, sources have spoken about the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers as possibilities. Both are playoff teams that might make the short-term risk worthwhile if it improves their offenses.

For Kansas City, reuniting Hill with Patrick Mahomes would address their wide receiver problem overnight. For Pittsburgh, pairing him with their young quarterback of the future could be the injection their offense has needed for decades. Other playoff contenders like the Raiders or Chargers could also be compelled to add Hill’s speed and veterans’ experience.

The Dolphins, however, are not in the same position. They are more of an unstable team than a Super Bowl contender, one player away. Not keeping Hill doesn’t do anything to solve their problems, but letting him leave provides them with resources to rebuild and look ahead.

Final Thoughts

Tyreek Hill has been the most exciting NFL player for almost a decade, but his stint in Miami is thinning. The fact that he has sideline angst, waning production, off-field controversy, and a backbreaking salary makes holding on to him a non-necessary gamble.

The Dolphins need to move now and trade Hill before they no longer have the ability to control getting value. Not only will it get them out from under a salary cap burden, but it will enable the team to turn its attention towards developing a roster that truly has a realistic chance at competing in the future. The most drastic option is usually the best one—and for Miami, parting with Tyreek Hill is just that.