When the 2024 season ended for the Miami Dolphins with a Week 18 loss to the New York Jets, fans knew that changes were needed within the organization. They didn't expect Wes Welker to be one of them.
Shortly after the season ended, Welker and Danny Crossman were fired. Crossman made a lot of sense; Welker, not so much initially.
The Welker firing was a bit surprising, but there were external questions about how the players were being coached. Welker was dealt a bad hand, with Jaylen Waddle getting banged up, Odell Beckham, Jr. being no part of the offense, and Tyreek Hill consistently dropping passes and having a bad wrist.
The weeks slowly went by, but recently, former Dolphins tight end Joe Rose dropped a bombshell on his radio show. Rose claimed he was informed from internal sources within the Dolphins organization that Welker's firing was due to pressure from Hill.
“If Tyreek Hill got Wes Welker fired, which is what everybody tells me, I mean, if those guys are running to the head coach, or the coach is seeing stuff and it’s not working…”
Rose knows a little about the NFL, and he has a lot of ears within the organization, but his revelation won't go over with the current zip-locked preferences from within.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel shoots down claim of Tyreek Hill's pressuring to fire Wes Welker
McDaniel spoke with the media at this week's NFL Scouting Combine and was asked about Rose's claim. He denied that Hill had anything to do with Welker's departure.
"I could see why one could come to that conclusion, however, it wasn't at all. Generally, in my position, I have to do the hard thing, which is, in this case, is look past the relationship."
The Dolphins may not have needed pressure from Hill to make that decision, but Rose is not someone who frequently relies on a singular piece of intel to deliver something with such controversial undertones.
Rose, however, has been critical of Hill since he walked off the field and has questioned his future with the team and as a captain.