The $36 million reason Dolphins, Tyreek Hill appear to be heading for a divorce

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The $36 million reason Dolphins, Tyreek Hill appear to be heading for a divorce

January 22, 2026

The $36 million reason Dolphins, Tyreek Hill appear to be heading for a divorce originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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For a while there, Mike McDaniel and Tyreek Hill made impressive things happen on the football field with the Miami Dolphins.

Now, though, McDaniel is gone, and Hill may not be far behind.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks that Hill has played his final down in Miami, in large part due to the finances.

“Hill is due $36 million in 2026, all of which is nonguaranteed,” Barnwell wrote in a new article on Thursday. “There is a zero percent chance he’s going to play on that deal next season. He could theoretically return to the Dolphins on a reduced salary, but with Mike McDaniel fired, the Dolphins rebuilding and whatever happened at the end of 2024 leaving a bad taste in the organization’s mouth, it seems a safe bet that Hill has played his last snap in Miami. His options will depend on whether and when Hill is healthy enough to play.”

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In Week 4 of the 2025 season, Hill dislocated his left knee and tore multiple ligaments. That raised questions about his future, particularly as a smaller receiver who relies so much on his speed.

He had already seen a decline in on-the-field performance, too.

“His production declined dramatically in 2024 from what had been league-best efficiency in 2022 and 2023. Things then took a further turn south when Hill dislocated his left knee and tore multiple ligaments in Week 4, ending his season,” Barnwell writes. “Hill was also accused of domestic violence by his estranged wife, opening the wideout up to potential league discipline.”

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It seems unlikely that new head coach Jeff Hafley will want to keep Hill aboard amid multiple uncertainties.

And given Hill’s health and off-field issues, it’s not clear whether he’d be quickly signed after a cut, anyway.