The Miami Dolphins released wide receiver Tyreek Hill on Feb 16, 2026, ending his four-year run with the franchise. Hill, a 31-year-old eight-time Pro Bowl selection, had dislocated his left knee and torn multiple ligaments, including his ACL, during a Week 4 game against the New York Jets on Sep 29, 2025.
The release came ahead of contract guarantees set to kick in during the 2026 league year, with Miami facing a potential $29.9 million non-guaranteed salary obligation. The decision was made under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley.
Hill enters free agency as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and has expressed his intent to play again in 2026. A day after the move was announced, Danny Torres, a retired Miami-Dade motorcycle officer who physically removed Hill from his car before a 2024 regular-season game, posted on Facebook.
🚨BREAKING: Former Miami cop Danny Torres, who dragged #Dolphins star Tyreek Hill from his car before a game last year, posted a celebration on Facebook that Miami released Hill.
“Hmmm… I guess it took a bit, but Karma got you. Now that I am retired I can tell you how I feel… pic.twitter.com/bGi3hK9lua
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) February 19, 2026
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Sep 29, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) is tended to by medical staff after injuring his leg against the New York Jets during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
Torres Posted the Facebook Celebration One Day After Hill’s Release
Torres was one of four Miami-Dade officers who stopped Hill for speeding outside Hard Rock Stadium on Sep 8, 2024, hours before Miami’s season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Body-cam footage showed Torres pulling Hill from his McLaren, then kneeling on his back while another officer applied handcuffs, as CNN reported.
Hill was cited for careless driving and a seatbelt violation. He was released in time to play the game that afternoon.
Torres, who was identified by Miami-Dade police as a 27-year department veteran, waited over a year to speak publicly about Hill. Writing on Facebook after the release, Torres posted:
“Hmmm… I guess it took a bit, but Karma got you. Now that I am retired I can tell you how I feel about you. You’re an entitled AS***LE and an embarrassment to the team and city that kissed your a*s. I wish you the best and hope you are able to afford ALL that child support, especially now that you’re unemployed.”
Torres had been placed on administrative duty after the body-cam footage went public. He later retired from the force, carrying a disciplinary record that included multiple suspensions dating back to incidents in 2014 and 2015.
Hill Responded to His Dolphins Release Focused on Playing Again
Sep 29, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) practices before the game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
Sep 29, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) practices before the game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
Hill addressed the Dolphins’ move publicly on Instagram, and his tone stood in clear contrast to what Torres had posted. He did not mention Torres or the 2024 incident.
Writing on Instagram, Hill said:
“Every chapter in life has taught me something. This one taught me leadership, resilience and mostly gratitude. The love I have for this game is unexplainable. And right now, this offseason, for the first time ever, The Cheetah is all the way turned up and locked in.”
His first two seasons in Miami were the most productive of his career as a Dolphin. He posted back-to-back campaigns of over 1,700 receiving yards, including a league-leading 1,799 yards in 2023.
Production declined in his final two seasons, and the severity of the knee injury removed any reasonable path for the Dolphins to justify keeping him financially.
Having spent his first six years in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs before arriving in Miami, a potential reunion with Kansas City has already been raised as one free agency possibility.
Whether any team commits to Hill at 31, coming off a dislocated knee and a torn ACL, is the question that will follow him through this entire offseason. Torres has had his say. Now it is Hill’s move.