On Monday night, Tyreek Hill’s career changed forever. The impact will be felt across the NFL’s next few seasons.
Hill, 31, caught a 12-yard out-breaking route before being tackled out of bounds with 13:24 remaining in the third quarter of the Dolphins’ 27–21 win over the Jets. When Hill sat up, his right leg was straight. His left leg was bent grotesquely at the knee, sharply pointing in the wrong direction.
Barring the miracle of all miracles, Hill will be done for the season. With a cap hit of $51.8 million next year and $36.3 million in cap savings for Miami if it releases him, the obvious move will be made. Coming off a gruesome knee injury with a long rehab ahead, Hill will become a free agent for the first time.
Hill’s injury hurts the Dolphins
The reverberations of the injury are myriad. They’re also significant in one way or another for almost every team in the league.
At 1–3, the Dolphins are likely to be sellers before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. But if the Dolphins thought they could get back into the AFC playoff picture, considering how bad the back end of the conference is, losing Hill is a crushing blow.
Through four games, Hill posted 17 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown. Outside of fellow star receiver Jaylen Waddle and his 17 receptions for 175 yards, there’s little else. In fact, the next highest yardage total from a receiver is Malik Washington’s 47 yards. Not exactly a suitable replacement for Hill’s talents.
Hill is no longer a midseason trade possibility
If Miami was looking to move off Hill, there’s no longer an opportunity for general manager Chris Grier to do so. Hill was an incredibly attractive piece and one that could’ve garnered a Day 2 pick as the Jets gave the Raiders for Davante Adams last year. Instead, the five-time first-team All-Pro won’t be a savior for a playoff contender looking to beef up its receiving corps, such as the Steelers, Broncos, Seahawks or Patriots.
With Hill no longer available, the receivers in contract years are underwhelming. Last year, the list was long and headlined by Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins and Diontae Johnson. Not so in 2025, with the biggest names being Jakobi Meyers and Wan’Dale Robinson.
Hill’s injury won’t just have a butterfly effect on this season. It’s also going to have a potentially enormous impact on the next one.
Hill’s likely free agency is complicated
Assuming the Dolphins move off Hill and he enters unrestricted free agency, teams around the league will have to weigh a litany of uncomfortable factors.
For starters, Hill’s off-field history is hideous. In 2014, Hill was dismissed from Oklahoma State after pleading guilty to domestic violence, including striking his pregnant girlfriend. In 2019, Hill was investigated for child abuse after his three-year-old son sustained a broken arm. No charges were filed, and the NFL didn’t impose discipline.
In 2023, Hill was again investigated by law enforcement for alleged assault, but again no charges resulted. The following year, he was the subject of a lawsuit claiming he broke his girlfriend’s leg while practicing football drills. Finally, this month, Hill was accused of eight instances of domestic violence during her divorce case.
If a team can get comfortable with all of that, there’s still the football question of whether Hill will come back anywhere near the same player he was before Monday night’s injury.
In 10 seasons, Hill had only missed seven games before Monday night. Even if he returns at or near full strength, it appears likely he’ll miss at least some of 2026. For a contender willing to accept his considerable baggage, it would make sense to sign Hill on a one-year deal with incentives, hoping he’s ready for a late-season and playoff run.
For teams expected to both compete for a title and be tight on cap space next year, including the Bills and his ex-teammates in Kansas City, Hill could be an enticing option.
Hill’s football legacy
Finally, if Hill doesn’t return either due to retirement or being forced into it by this injury, his football legacy is secure.
In 10 seasons, Hill has 813 catches, 11,296 yards and 83 receiving touchdowns, ranking seventh, sixth and fourth, respectively, among active players. He’s also a 2010s All-Decade Team member, an eight-time Pro Bowler, an aforementioned five-time All-Pro and a Super Bowl champion, all while being one of the most electrifying players of all time. He should eventually be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Monday night, Hill did something he’s done hundreds of times before. He caught a pass after gaining separation, making a tough skill appear so routine.
In an instant, his career changed.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Takeaways on Tyreek Hill’s Knee Injury.
