Dolphins Face Costly Decision on Wide Receiver’s Future

The Miami Dolphins’ high-powered offense suffered a crushing blow on Monday night when star wide receiver Tyreek Hill went down with a dislocated knee during the team’s win over the New York Jets. The injury, which reportedly includes multiple torn ligaments and required surgery this week, not only ends Hill’s 2025 season but also places his NFL future in serious doubt. According to multiple league sources, the Dolphins are expected to release Hill before the start of the 2026 league year, when significant guarantees in his contract would take effect. Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said that the surgery “went well” and that the goal remains for his client to be ready for Week One of 2026. Still, insiders are skeptical that the 31-year-old receiver can make such a rapid recovery from an injury of this magnitude.

Hill was in the second year of what was officially reported as a three-year, $90 million contract extension, though the deal was structured in a way that always made his 2026 future uncertain. The final year carries a massive $52 million cap hit, including $16 million in potential guarantees that would kick in if Hill remains on the roster by March 14th, 2026. Given the severity of his injury and the non-guaranteed structure of his deal, it appears increasingly likely that Miami will cut ties before those guarantees vest. Before the injury, Hill was quietly rebounding from a disappointing 2024 campaign in which he fell short of 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2019. Through three games this season, he averaged 66 receiving yards per game and had already reached 67 yards on the night he was injured. Known for his unmatched speed and explosiveness, Hill’s athletic gifts are what made him one of the NFL’s most dangerous weapons — and also what make his recovery so uncertain.

Off the field, Hill’s future is complicated further by ongoing domestic violence allegations stemming from a divorce, which could factor into the Dolphins’ decision-making process. Combined with his age and contract situation, it seems more likely than not that Hill has played his final snap in a Dolphins uniform. If this truly marks the end of Hill’s tenure in Miami, his stint with the Dolphins will be remembered as electrifying but turbulent — a two-year stretch that featured jaw-dropping highlights, off-field controversy, and now, a career-altering injury. The “Cheetah” vows to be back, but whether that comeback happens in Miami — or anywhere in the NFL — remains a story still waiting to be written.