The Miami Dolphins gave broad receiver Tyreek Hill a beneficiant three-year, $90 million extension in August of 2024, totally guaranteeing his 2024 and 2025 compensation to make him comfortable within the wake of a bunch of latest receiver contracts being handed out elsewhere within the league.
Following the Dolphins’ disappointing 2024 season that noticed them fall wanting the playoffs and Hill put up lackluster numbers with Tua Tagovailoa sidelined for a number of video games (once more), the enigmatic receiver just about mentioned he needed out of South Seaside.
The contract ramifications of this are large to each the Dolphins and the crew buying Hill.
Tyreek Hill’s 2025 assured wage and bonuses
Regardless of the large numbers reported in 2024, in actuality it was a two-year, totally assured $53ish million take care of a third-year crew choice for $36 million that isn’t assured. He has performed a type of two assured years, making $26.5 million within the course of, which implies roughly $26.85 million in assured cash nonetheless stays.
After they prolonged him, Miami assured Hill his $1 million roster bonus in mid-March 2025 plus a $15.85 million choice bonus that should be exercised by the top of August 2025 and his $10 million base wage that’s paid out throughout the 2025 season. That’s $26.85 million owed to Hill in totally assured cash.
He additionally might earn as much as $1.8 million in per-game roster bonuses in 2025, however that $105,882 per recreation will not be assured.
Hill has a number of monetary leverage right here.
Hill’s $36 million compensation in 2026 has no ensures, for what it’s value. It was added to pump up the yearly common greater than something.
What would it not price the Miami Dolphins to maintain Tyreek Hill in 2025?
If he’s on the Dolphins, he’s not more likely to comply with a pay lower when all of it’s at the moment totally assured. The $1 million roster bonus in mid-March 2025 plus a $15.85 million choice bonus and his $10 million base wage goes to be paid to the tune of $26.85 million and he might earn one other $1.8 million in per-game roster bonuses.
Because of this Hill has the arrogance to talk out quasi-demanding a commerce or not less than enter on the Dolphins’ choices shifting ahead.
What would it not price the Miami Dolphins to commerce Tyreek Hill throughout the 2025 offseason?
The Dolphins would basically be buying and selling the assured cash on Hill’s contract in the event that they moved him. They may pay some or all the bonuses to be able to safe extra compensation, however the motive to commerce him is to get out from the remaining assured cash whereas doubtlessly ridding themselves of a locker room downside.
Ideally for the Dolphins, Miami would commerce him earlier than the March roster bonus and clear all $26.85 million they owe him in roster bonuses and wage. What number of groups are prepared to take that on and have the cap house to do it? Not less than 18 groups have the cap house proper now, however eager to is a distinct story.
Even when the Dolphins eat the $1 million roster bonus, not one of the different cash is owed to him till August, so this may very well be an extended course of if one of many sides digs in.
What are the Dolphins’ wage cap ramifications of buying and selling Tyreek Hill?
The Dolphins have paid Hill round $79.5 million however have solely accounted for about $51 million of that, per Over the Cap. Meaning the Dolphins’ lifeless cap hit — the amount of cash they’ve paid however haven’t accounted for but — can be within the neighborhood of $28 million. (The numbers are worse at Spotrac, for what it’s value, at greater than $41 million in lifeless cash.)
Hill’s cap hit if he’s on the roster in 2025 is slightly below $28 million, so it wouldn’t be terribly tough to maneuver on from him cap-wise, although they might lose some flexibility. In the event that they began paying these bonuses, nevertheless, his lifeless cap hit would proceed to go up with each greenback.
Miami must begin reducing gamers or restructuring contracts to be able to make it work, however that might be a fairly simple factor to do.
What would it not price for a crew to commerce for Tyreek Hill?
A crew buying and selling for Hill might tackle all of his 2025 assured compensation; $1 million roster bonus in mid-March 2025, a $15.85 million choice bonus, and his $10 million base wage. That’s $26.85 million owed to Hill in totally assured cash.
If I have been the brand new crew, I might make the Dolphins pay his $1 million roster bonus in March and tackle his $15.85 million roster bonus. That would go away me with simply $10 million in base wage plus $1.8 million in potential per-game roster bonuses to pay Hill for 2025.
At lower than $12 million for Hill, I’d be prepared to work out a deal for the receiver. Nothing is assured within the contract past 2025. This might in all probability web a pleasant draft choose on Day 2 or Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
How a lot would a Tyreek Hill commerce be value in commerce?
Hill’s large compensation is a roadblock, but when the Dolphins take in most or all of these bonuses, there’s a path ahead.
The Payments despatched a third-round choose to the Browns for half a season of Amari Cooper however he was making the NFL minimal wage. The Jets despatched a third-rounder to the Raiders for Davante Adams in a really comparable transfer, however NY paid him $11.6 million for a half season in 2024. Kansas Metropolis had Tennessee pay a part of DeAndre Hopkins’ wage earlier than sending a fifth-round choose and paying him $5.5 million for his second half of 2024.
At $10 to $12 million for Hill, a second-round choose or a third-round choose with another compensation isn’t out of the query, however I believe that’s on the very highest finish.
There’s yet one more component to any deal, nevertheless. Will Hill ask for 2026 assured cash as a part of the commerce settlement? He turns 31 this offseason and is a receiver identified for pace, so would you need to assure cash to a 32-year-old speedy receiver who may very well be on the decline? That might drive the commerce compensation down, too.
With all that being mentioned, I believe an early Day 3 choose might be the candy spot if Miami takes on these bonuses. In the event that they don’t eat the cash, the Dolphins may very well be taking a look at what the Chiefs bought for L’Jarius Sneed; only a choose swap plus the monetary aid.
