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Tyreek Hill shares emotional apology to Tua Tagovailoa, walks back comments about leaving Dolphins

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•02/07/25•

NickGeddesNews

Tyreek Hill
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill issued a public apology to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his teammates during a Friday appearance on Kay Adams‘ “Up & Adams Show” at Super Bowl Radio Row in New Orleans.

Hill, who hinted at wanting out of Miami in the aftermath of pulling himself out of the Week 18 loss to the New York Jets once the Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention, said he’s ready to move forward with Tagovailoa and his teammates.

“Tua is my guy and always will be my guy no matter what,” Hill said. “I’m sure he understands my frustration. Like, we all want to win. Tua, he’s another competitor, he’s a hell of a competitor — a lot of people don’t know that. He’s a winner, he’s consistent, so I’m looking forward to just continuing to build that relationship even more. This is my public apology to you, Tua. I love you, bro.

“… They [teammates] know I’m not that kind of player. A lot of people may say, ‘Oh, Reek is a hothead, he’s this, he’s that.’ But all my teammates know, like I come to work every day, I bust my tail, I show up to meetings on time and I do what I gotta do.”

Tyreek Hill’s Week 18 postgame comments revisited

Here’s what Hill had to say after the season-ending loss to New York: “I’m out, bruh. It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for my career.” He’s since clarified his comments, which he said were born out of frustration in the moment. General manager Chris Grier met with Hill after the season and said the 30-year-old did not ask for a trade.

Hill recalled a conversation with his mother, Virginia, in which she told him, “We don’t handle our situations like that.” Hill admitted he could have “handled it better,” while adding “a lot of things need to be said sometimes.”

“Having some conversations with my family, having some conversations with my mom because my mom is still in my life very heavy, she called me and was like, ‘Baby boy, we don’t handle our situations like that.’ And in that moment, I’m like, ‘Chill, leave me alone, like I need you to be on my side. I need you here for me.’ And it gave me some time to think about it like yes, I could have handled the situation better,” Hill said. “Instead of saying I’m out, I could have obviously handled it better.

“And I wish did, but in the heat of the moment, I just said whatever I had to say and I’m taking full accountability to that. I want to win, we wanna win, the fans wanna win. But I feel like a lot of things need to be said sometimes. So, it’s tough right now.”

Tyreek Hill comments on future with Miami Dolphins

Hill, who led the NFL in receiving yards (1,799) and touchdowns in 2023 (13), saw his numbers plummet this past season. Playing through a wrist injury and without Tagovailoa for six games, Hill recorded 959 yards and six scores on 81 catches. His 56.4 receiving yards per game was his lowest average since his rookie season in 2016.

Hill has two years remaining on the extension he signed with the Dolphins in 2022 after coming over via trade from the Kansas City Chiefs. In August 2024, Hill and the Dolphins agreed to a restructured contract. No years were added to the deal, but Hill’s guaranteed money was bumped up to $106.5 million — the most fully guaranteed money for a wideout in NFL history.

Hill intends to play out his contract in Miami.

“I do [want to be a Miami Dolphin], I don’t want to go nowhere,” Hill said. “I love it, my family loves it, kids absolutely love being on the beach every morning. So, it’s an amazing thing. We are really building something special in Miami. We made it to the playoffs the first two years. Obviously, this year was hard but if guys continue to buy into what coach [Mike McDaniel] is building and the culture he’s trying to build, it’s gonna be a beautiful thing.”