NFL Free Agency News
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill took to Instagram on Monday to vow that his playing career is not over, hours after the Miami Dolphins officially released him, making him an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his NFL career.
The Dolphins released Hill on Monday in a cap-clearing move that saves the franchise $22.8 million. The team accepted $28.2 million in dead cap money to avoid triggering $16 million in guaranteed salary that would have kicked in when the 2026 league year opened on March 14. Hill is recovering from a dislocated left knee and a torn ACL suffered on September 29, 2025, in a Week 4 game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. He underwent surgery shortly after to repair multiple torn ligaments.
In a post on Instagram, Hill thanked the Dolphins, his teammates, and the team’s fans, and made clear he intends to play again. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed that Hill is “progressing well” in his recovery and has every intention of returning to the field. Hill has reportedly been walking without a brace in recent weeks.
Whether Hill will be ready for the start of the 2026 NFL season remains an open question. Knee dislocations with multi-ligament involvement, including ACL reconstruction, typically carry recovery timelines of nine to twelve months or longer, depending on the extent of the damage. For a player whose game has always been built on elite speed, the medical picture is uncertain. Any team interested in Hill will need to see proof of where his recovery stands before committing to a contract.
Hill arrived in Miami ahead of the 2022 season in a blockbuster trade from the Kansas City Chiefs and signed a four-year, $120 million extension that made him the highest-paid wide receiver in football at the time. He delivered in his first two seasons with the Dolphins, earning first-team All-Pro honors in both 2022 and 2023. His production slipped in 2024, when he finished with 959 receiving yards while dealing with a wrist injury. He had surgery on that wrist in February 2025, was cleared for training camp, and then suffered the catastrophic knee injury just four games into the 2025 season, finishing with 265 yards and one touchdown before his year ended.
He is an eight-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion who, over 54 games in Miami, totaled 340 catches for 4,733 yards and 28 touchdowns. Despite that résumé, teams will proceed cautiously. No team is likely to sign Hill to a significant contract before he demonstrates his recovery progress, and it remains unclear whether he will be available at any point during the 2026 season or not until later in the year.
NFL free agency opens March 11, 2026. Hill’s release was announced the same day the Dolphins also parted with wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, offensive lineman James Daniels, and linebacker Bradley Chubb, a sweeping financial overhaul under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley.