After Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury in a win over the Jets on Monday, agent Drew Rosenhaus made it clear that his client wants to continue his career in Miami in 2026. It doesn’t appear Hill will get his wish, though. The Dolphins are expected to release the eight-time Pro Bowler before the new league year begins in March, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports.
Even before Hill underwent surgery for a catastrophic injury (a dislocation and multiple ligament tears), it appeared his time in Miami was in jeopardy of ending soon. Hill may have been a trade candidate before the Nov. 4 deadline had he stayed healthy. He’ll now finish the year with the Dolphins, but they’ll then have to rework his contract or release him.
The 2026 campaign will be the last season of Hill’s current deal – a three-year, $90MM pact. Hill has a bloated $51.9MM cap hit and a non-guaranteed base salary of $29.9MM for next season. A good portion of Hill’s salary ($11MM) and a $5MM roster bonus will become guaranteed if he’s still on the Dolphins’ roster on the third day of the league year. Those figures obviously aren’t going to work for Miami, especially in the wake of Hill’s injury. It’s in question whether he’ll even be able to pass a physical in March, Jones notes. Releasing him then would still leave the Dolphins with a $15.5MM cap hit, but it’s nonetheless the most likely outcome.
Assuming the Dolphins release Hill and he’s healthy enough to play next year, they could still bring him back for a fifth season at a more team-friendly price. However, as Jones points out, there’s no guarantee the Dolphins’ current regime of general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel will stick around in 2026. At 1-3, the Dolphins are on track to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. That could lead owner Stephen Ross to go in another direction in the front office and/or on the sidelines.
A new group of decision makers may be more inclined to move on from Hill, whose issues extend beyond recovering from a serious injury. He’s also a soon-to-be 32-year-old with declining production and significant off-field baggage, including domestic violence allegations that came to light in September.