In the wake of an ESPN report that teams were monitoring the potential availability of receiver Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins have displayed no interest in trading him, The Athletic reported Wednesday.
As part of a deep dive into the Dolphins, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported that the Dolphins “never showed any genuine interest in moving Hill during the offseason, according to several high-ranking league sources.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported last week that teams are wondering what the Dolphins will do with Hill before he’s due an $18.5 million roster bonus late this month.
Hill has been sidelined with an oblique injury in recent days and did not participate in Thursday’s joint practice with the Lions in Detroit.
“I have talked to a few teams that are at least monitoring his future a little bit,” ESPN’s Fowler said last week. “Could he be a potential trade target?
“I know the Dolphins earlier this summer were telling teams, no, we’re not trading Tyreek Hill, but they just wonder if he’s going to be available? It could be wishful thinking. Maybe they want him to be available, but he’s a player that when I bring up the teams and say, who’s sort of a trade target you’re watching? They bring up Tyreek Hill…He’s a big option for Tua, and that’d be a major move if they did move away from him.”
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said twice this offseason that the Dolphins are not interested in trading Hill.
“That is not anything that we’re pursuing,” Grier said in April. “Who knows? If someone wants to come and give me two first-round picks, then we consider it. But as of right now, that’s not anything we’re pursuing.” Hill, 31, is set to make $29.9 million in 2027, but none of that money is guaranteed. If Hill is retained in 2027, the Dolphins likely would try to lower his $51.8 million cap hit that season.
A couple of other notes from The Athletic piece:
▪ McDaniel said five players on the 2024 roster incurred half of the team’s internal fines for distractions such as being late. He did not identify the players.
▪ Dolphins right tackle Austin Jackson told reporters last month that the players were behind the decision to run laps after committing penalties or mental mistakes in practice.
Per The Athletic, “McDaniel also stopped forcing players to run during practice for presnap penalties. The purpose was twofold: First, he didn’t want any unnecessary soft-tissue injuries. And second, he wants them to practice at full speed, which won’t always happen if they’re jumping into the play from a gasser.”
▪ McDaniel said this team has reflected “the most emphatic commitment to a cause and to each other from a team that I’ve seen.”
Here is a full report from Thursday’s Dolphins-Lions practice.
Here’s more on the Dolphins losing another offensive lineman for the season.