We are more than two months into the new league year in the NFL, and in that time, the Miami Dolphins have, oddly enough, not made a move to trade controversial wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Perhaps the 49ers should take some notice of that.
When last season ended in another disappointment for Miami, Hill sounded like a player who wanted out. The Dolphins missed the playoffs at 8-9 and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had again not been healthy, missing six games because of a concussion and a hip injury. After clearly giving a half-effort in the closing week of the season, Hill effectively asked for a trade.
He’s since walked that back. This week, he struck a different tone with reporters.
“Every day you gotta prove who you are,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much you learned or how much success you’ve had in this league. It’s always a ‘next day’ mentality. Every day, I’m trying to prove myself as one of those guys that this team can depend on in crucial moments… Emotions were high in the end. At the end of the day, man, I’m just looking to move forward from that and hope that I can prove to myself, prove to my teammates that I’m still one of them ones.”
Tyreek Hill Could Be Traded Next Week
But between Hill’s less-than-inspiring efforts and the Dolphins’ increasingly claustrophobic salary-cap situation, it’s hard to imagine that any public acts of contrition will serve to make Hill entirely safe from a trade out of Miami. There is also the matter of age (he is 31) and a drop-off in production that can be linked in part to Tagovailoa’s absence, but also to Hill losing a bit of his trademark speed.
And thanks to the structure of his contract, this week would be the ideal time for the Dolphins to take more seriously the notion of trading Hill in the midst of his three-year, $90 million contract.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on Saturday, “Given the realities of Hill’s contract (re-done in 2024), it makes sense for the Dolphins to hold Hill until June 2 or later. That’s when the cap consequences can be spread over two years.
“For now, Hill has $28.296 million in unallocated bonus money that will hit the cap. A pre-June 1 trade means all of it lands in 2025. A post-June 1 trade limits the 2025 dead money to $12.728 million, with the remaining $15.568 million landing on the cap in 2026.”
49ers Lacking in WR Depth
Perhaps this would be an opportunity for the 49ers, who will head into the coming season with ample questions in the receivers room.
The team will have to wait for Brandon Aiyuk to rehab from his ACL surgery–he is not expected to be healthy for Week 1. The 49ers will lean on Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, neither of whom is a bona fide No. 1, and will hope to squeeze something out of 30-year-old Demarcus Robinson.
But inquiring about Hill might be the 49ers’ shortcut not only to insurance on Aiyuk, but perhaps a veteran deep-ball presence to help Brock Purdy. He does have eight Pro Bowls on his resume, after all.
Florio counted the 49ers among the teams who need Hill. Of course, that may depend on whether the 49ers see themselves as serious contenders in 2025.
He wrote, “The contenders that should at least ponder whether Hill can help get them over the top include the Ravens, Texans, Chargers, and 49ers. … All it takes is one team to convince itself that Hill can be the difference maker. The guy who can help a team that is close to the mountaintop finish the climb.”
