The Phinsider
The Tyreek Hill experience in Miami was fun to watch, but after a Week 18 meltdown, I think it’s time for the Dolphins and The Cheetah to divorce. Permanently.
I still remember where I was when the Dolphins traded for Tyreek Hill.
Jake and I were doing a podcast, and what went from a hypothetical trade scenario to an AFC EAST team quickly became ‘holy sh*t, this dude is going to be a Dolphin’ in a matter of minutes. It felt like a fever dream.
The fastest player in the entire league is going to be a Dolphin.
Then the trade happened, and Hill proved he was more than just a Patrick Mahomes merchant, while Mahomes proved the same. In Miami, Hill almost broke Megatron’s record of 1,964 yards set in 2012, and the Dolphins were in the playoffs for back-to-back seasons. Life was as good as ever if you’re a Dolphins fan.
Then the wheels fell off.
And as the wheels were falling off, Hill showed who he really was. A ticking time bomb getting paid a plethora of money to *check notes*: take himself out of the most meaningful game of the year. (Yes, I know the Broncos made it meaningless, but still, unacceptable.)
We understand the frustration… maybe not to the same extent (I’m not putting my body on the line), but I’m emotionally invested. And to see players grit through a wrist injury or other potentially season-ending injuries — to play every game — while the QB isn’t allowed/able to suit up in the most critical part of the season — yeah, I would be pissed too.
And yet, the ‘I’m out’ tantrum, coupled with the quitting on the team, makes me feel that this can’t be fixed.
Maybe it’s because I’m much older (and wiser!) than I was many years ago. Players say things that bother me, and I can’t let go. But it’s not about whether I can get over it… can guys like Zach Sieler and Terron Armstead move past it? Was his public apology to Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the team anything more than show? Can Mike McDaniel keep the ship afloat with Hill in the locker room?
I don’t have those answers. And if you’re a team like the Dolphins with a head coach and general manager hanging on by a thread, do you really get rid of your best player? (De’Von Achane may be the best player, to be honest.) Is that really what’s best for the team?
Most importantly, what might you get in return?
The Dolphins probably won’t get a lot in return for Hill. After all, the compensation of the last wide receiver trades are as follows:
