Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel wants to ‘do right’ by Tyreek Hill

2024 is the year of the Wide Receiver for the NFL. All around the league, teams are rewarding their quarterback’s best friends with massive contracts that blow the numbers of years past away. The Minnesota Vikings gave their star WR Justin Jefferson a 4-year, $140 million dollar extension that makes him the highest annually paid WR in the league.

Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a 4-year, $120 million dollar deal with the Detroit Lions, A.J. Brown signed a 3-year, $96 million dollar extension to stay with the Philadelphia Eagles. And of course, right in South Florida, the Miami Dolphins rewarded their homegrown talent Jaylen Waddle with a 3-year, $84.75 million dollar extension which begins in 2025 after Waddle’s 5th-year option plays out.

But even with all these contracts, there are still more players seeking their massive paydays, and they’re all watching these negotiations play out with keen interest. Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb is going to be looking at Jefferson’s detail as the basis for his new contract, as is Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase.

And now, during an interview with WSVN Sports Anchor Josh Moser, renowned sports agent Drew Rosenhaus revealed that his client Tyreek Hill is looking at all of these new contracts and using them as a means to express his desire for more money as well.

Now that the Justin Jefferson deal is done, I spoke to Drew Rosenhaus about getting his client, Tyreek Hill, more money to put him back in line with the top-5 highest paid at his position. @DrewJRosenhaus saying, “ I have a fluid line of communication with Chris Grier and Brandon… pic.twitter.com/Gx53yj69Qv

— Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) June 3, 2024

Miami Dolphins fans will recall a back in 2019, when cornerback Xavien Howard originally signed a 5-year, $76.5 million dollar contract, which at the time made him the highest paid cornerback in the league. Then, as the market usually does, prices went up as other players signed their deals based on Howard’s deal in 2020.

Then in July 2021, Howard requested a trade from the team because he felt underpaid in spite of the fact he had just signed a brand new deal that was higher than anyone else at the time of signing. Ultimately, Miami decided to give in to Howard’s demands and gave him a reworked contract that made him the highest paid cornerback in the league, again. Fast forward three seasons later, and the 30-year old Howard is a free agent looking for a new team, and the Dolphins have an additional $18.5 million in cap space.

Giving Howard a new deal instead of trading him in his prime had pros and cons for Miami. However, in the case of Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins would benefit from keeping him on the roster for as long as they can afford him. Mike McDaniel’s offense is heavily-based on utilizing Hill’s speed and agility in ways that defenses struggle to adapt to.

One can make the argument that Tyreek Hill isn’t necessarily the best overall WR in the league, but it’s hard to think of someone who’s a deadlier weapon. On the boundary, Hill beats any one-on-one coverage going deep. In the slot, Hill finds openings that wouldn’t be there for any slower receivers, making Tua Tagovailoa’s job much easier.

There are some different factors to consider this time around. Unlike Howard, Hill isn’t going public with any sort of displeasure about his current deal. During an interview with the media at the start of mini-camp, Hill expressed that in spite of wanting a reworked deal, he isn’t looking to cause a controversy over it, and being greedy won’t help the team.

Tyreek Hill on his contract: “Being greedy ain’t gonna help the team.” pic.twitter.com/DjhhpXcqGl

— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) June 4, 2024

“I’m gonna let my agent do his job. That’s his job … We’re gonna make sure it benefits both sides, I wanna be able to help the team as much as I can, and that’s as much as I can say about it.”

This season, Tyreek Hill counts for a little over 12% of the team’s salary cap, with a cap hit of over $30 million. In 2025, financially speaking, the Dolphins would benefit from releasing Hill in the same way they did Xavien Howard. Designating him a post-June 1st cut would save Miami nearly $23 million, while only costing $11 million in dead cap space.

Once again, there are things Tyreek Hill can do that no other receivers in the league can. Not only that, he and Tua Tagovailoa have established a rapport that is difficult to replicate even in today’s pass-centric NFL. Since coming to Miami, Tyreek Hill has had two consecutive career years, and a lot of that has to do with Mike McDaniel’s offense.

119 catches
1,799 receiving yards
13 TDs

Tyreek's second season in Miami was a memorable one. pic.twitter.com/u2Xrqd4DR1

— NFL (@NFL) February 17, 2024

“Tyreek Hill has been unbelievably valuable to my coaching career, this franchise, we set out to do some ambitious things from the onset.” McDaniel said on Tuesday. “On top of the fact he wanted to take his game to another level but also be a leader, he’s tremendously important, we’ve always prioritized him that way. For him and I, we stay in our lane with our relationship, and the organization will always do right by players.”

There is a lot to consider with the Tyreek Hill situation. He’s entering the 2024 season having just turned 30, he has lingering off-the-field concerns due to his past mistakes, and the Miami Dolphins will be looking to find money to use in the coming seasons with Tua Tagovailoa’s impending extension, as well as those of Jaelen Phillips and Jevon Holland.

But there can be no question how heavily Miami’s offense leans on Tyreek Hill for its explosive capability. On the day he does lose a step, he’ll still be one of the faster wide receivers in the league, which speaks to how wide the gap is.

Hill has already stated that he wants to retire in Miami. Clearly, Mike McDaniel would love to see that wish granted for both their sakes.

“He’s a big part of everything that we’re doing.” McDaniel said. “I think Tyreek wants that, he’s made that explicit. I think me, as a competitor, I want to make that happen. In terms of the Miami Dolphins embracing Tyreek Hill, I think that is an understatement. We look forward to continuing to grow in our relationship for sure.”

Luis Sung has been covering the Miami Dolphins for over nine years and is the host of Pulse of Fins Nation for the Five Reasons Sports Network. Follow him on Twitter @LuisDSung