Tyreek Hill Is Still Waiting While His Former Quarterback Moved On
Tyreek Hill is a free agent, recovering from a dislocated knee, and watching his former teammates find new homes without him. The Miami Dolphins released Hill this offseason after his season ended in Week 4 of 2025 with a dislocated left knee that also involved multiple ligament tears, including the ACL. His former quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa — also released by Miami’s new front office under GM Jon-Eric Sullivan — signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons almost immediately. Hill has not signed anywhere. Now, following the 2026 NFL Draft, at least one analyst thinks he knows exactly where Hill should land.
The answer is Kansas City. And for Hill, it would close a circle that started there 11 years ago.
Why CBS Sports Says the Chiefs Should Sign Hill Now
CBS Sports writer Bryan DeArdo included a Hill-to-Kansas City reunion on his post-draft list of moves that should happen. His case was direct: “At age 32 and coming off a major injury, Hill’s best chance at playing this season might be back in Kansas City in a complementary role.” DeArdo added that the Chiefs aren’t lacking at receiver but noted that depth at the position is never a liability in today’s NFL. He pointed to Hill’s existing rapport with Patrick Mahomes as a secondary factor that makes the fit logical.
The Chiefs’ current depth chart is anchored by Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, with Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals, and Nikko Remigio filling out the next tier. Mahomes targeted Rice 78 times and Travis Kelce 92 times in 2025. The roster is functional. It is not elite at the position beyond the top two.
Hill would not be asked to be WR1. That distinction matters. A 32-year-old coming off ACL involvement in a multi-ligament knee dislocation is not the same player who broke franchise records in Miami. But as a third option who already knows Mahomes’ timing and tendencies, the value proposition is real — if Hill can get on the field.
How Miami’s Two-Year Decline Led to Hill’s Release
The Dolphins made the postseason in Hill’s first two seasons in Miami. Then the floor fell out. In 2025, Tagovailoa struggled badly enough that the team benched him in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. Hill’s season ended in Week 4 against the New York Jets on September 29, 2025. The injury — a dislocated left knee with multiple ligament tears including the ACL — required surgery, which was reported as successful.
When Sullivan took over as GM, the math on Hill was straightforward. A $51 million cap hit attached to a 32-year-old receiver who had not played since September and was recovering from one of the most serious knee injuries in the sport is not a roster-building asset. It is a liability. Miami cut him.
The decision was financially rational. It still gutted the receiver room.
Hill’s Career Arc: From Kansas City to Miami and Back?
Hill spent his first six NFL seasons with the Chiefs, building the chemistry with Mahomes that made him one of the most dangerous receivers in the league. In 2022, Miami acquired him in a blockbuster trade that sent five draft picks to Kansas City. The deal was immediately validated.
With the Dolphins, Hill earned two first-team All-Pro selections and broke the franchise’s single-season receiving yards record — then broke it again. His peak production in Miami was legitimate and historic for that organization. The 2022 trade looked like a franchise-altering move.
It was. Just not in the direction Miami hoped. A return to Kansas City would be a full-circle moment — not a triumphant one, but a pragmatic one. Hill chasing a ring with the team that already has three of them.
| Team | Seasons | Notable Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2016–2021 (6 seasons) | 3x Super Bowl appearances, multiple Pro Bowls, traded for 5 picks |
| Miami Dolphins | 2022–2025 (4 seasons) | 2x first-team All-Pro, broke franchise single-season receiving record twice, season ended Week 4 2025 |
What Miami’s Receiver Room Looks Like Without Hill or Waddle
Hill’s release was not the only major subtraction. The Dolphins also traded wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, stripping the roster of both starting outside receivers in one offseason. What replaced them is a significant downgrade in proven production.
In free agency, Miami signed veterans Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell. Tolbert had his best season in 2024 with the Dallas Cowboys — 49 receptions, 610 yards, 7 touchdowns — but regressed sharply in 2025 to 18 receptions and 203 yards before signing a one-year deal with Miami. Atwell has shown flashes but has not established himself as a consistent starter.
The Dolphins also invested three draft picks in receivers: Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell in the third round, and Kevin Coleman Jr. in the fifth. Douglas was the most eyebrow-raising selection. Miami took him 75th overall despite The Ringer’s Todd McShay ranking him 285th among draft prospects. That gap between team evaluation and consensus grade is either a sharp organizational conviction or a significant miss. It will take time to know which.
