Eighteen months ago, Tyreek Hill agreed to a restructured contract with the Miami Dolphins. He was coming off back-to-back seasons with over 1,700 receiving yards and was the cornerstone of one of the league’s best offenses. Early on President’s Day 2026, weeks before the start of free agency begins March 11, the Dolphins released Hill.
The franchise is in a very different place now than it was then. It has a new coach in Jeff Hafley and a new general manager in Jon-Eric Sullivan. It has missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons after reaching the postseason in the previous two. Hill, too, has not replicated the success he found early on with the Dolphins, failing to reach 1,000 receiving yards in 2024 and missing most of 2025 after dislocating a knee and tearing an ACL.
The Hill release was expected heading into this offseason, but its timing caught many off guard. Why did the Dolphins release the five-time first-team All-Pro and what interest could he draw in free agency?
ESPN NFL Nation Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques and NFL insider Jeremy Fowler weigh in on everything you need to know.
Why did the Dolphins release Tyreek Hill?
Hill signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the Dolphins in 2022, and agreed to a restructured deal in 2024 that pushed his guaranteed money to $106.5 million — an NFL record for a skill player. He didn’t have any guaranteed money coming in 2026, but the receiver still carried a $51.1 million cap hit this season.
The cap numbers were tolerable when Hill was productive, but his past two seasons were a far cry from his first two in Miami. Throughout 2024 and 2025, he caught 102 passes for 1,224 yards and 7 touchdowns. These figures were obviously impacted by the dislocated knee he suffered in Week 4 of the 2025 season, which might prove difficult for the 31-year-old to rebound from. Sullivan was adamant on establishing a new culture within the Dolphins’ building, and that usually involves significant roster moves.
Sullivan is a believer in developing through the draft and Hill’s existence on Miami’s roster is the antithesis of that belief. While he was highly productive during his first two seasons, trading for Hill was one of several moves that limited the Dolphins’ draft capabilities. The draft capital is a sunk cost at this point, but Sullivan still took the first step in putting his own stamp on this roster. — Louis-Jacques
Is there a reason the Dolphins released Hill now, weeks before the start of free agency?
Miami is getting a head start on a major rebuild by making a series of cuts a week ahead of the NFL combine. Hill was one of four Dolphins players released Monday, saving the team nearly $70 million in cap space.
Hill hit the trifecta for players bound to be cut: age (31), injury and bloated salary. So, the Dolphins made the easy decision now, with a new regime less inclined to worry about sentiment. Sullivan and Hafley understand the type of undertaking this roster remodel will be and are embracing it. Hill represents the past. — Fowler
How does releasing Hill affect the Dolphins’ salary cap space this year and in the future?
Hill’s immediate release will cost the Dolphins roughly $28 million in dead cap this season and save them roughly $23 million. They could have split the dead cap hit over the next two years if he was designated a post-June 1 release, but terminating his contract right away essentially allows them to pay off their theoretical credit card now instead of spreading out the payments.
His release also leaves Miami with one of the NFL’s thinnest wide receiver rooms. Jaylen Waddle is still under contract but is also the Dolphins’ most valuable trade asset if they choose to dig deeper into this rebuild.
Adding pass-catching options will be a priority this offseason, as their offense is not currently set up to support whoever their next quarterback will be. — Louis-Jacques
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Sam Acho: I’m ‘not overly surprised’ by Tyreek Hill’s release
Sam Acho breaks down why he isn’t surprised by the Dolphins’ decision to release Tyreek Hill.
What could Hill’s free-agent market look like?
Hill is one of the rare players who has maintained his elite speed into his 30s — speed that kept him among the game’s elite pass catchers. His significant knee injury could jeopardize that speed, and Hill himself didn’t shy away from the notion of retirement back in October.
But Hill might just be the unique player that can recover from this and continue to make plays. A potential return to Kansas City has to be mentioned. The Chiefs’ offense hasn’t quite been the same since the franchise traded HIll in 2022.
Reuniting with Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel makes sense, too. Hill was perfectly suited for McDaniel’s scheme. While Hill’s days of top-shelf earning power might be over, he’ll likely still get a respectable contract. — Fowler
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