The Miami Dolphins went from riding high on a hot streak to landing with a thud in Monday night's loss to the Steelers, and head coach Mike McDaniel has officially seen enough from Tua Tagovailoa.
In the midst of Tua getting benched in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers, though, superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill has made his thoughts publicly known. Let's just say it doesn't bode well for any remote chances The Cheetah had of sticking around for next season.
Tua and Tyreek have formed quite a dynamic duo to spearhead the Dolphins' offense since the latter's arrival in 2022. However, it's quite obvious that Tua's benching has set the stage for his eventual exit from the team and all but confirmed Hill's own departure.
Tyreek Hill implies he's leaving the Miami Dolphins after Mike McDaniel benches Tua Tagovailoa for Quinn Ewers
As he continues to recover from a gruesome leg injury, Tyreek Hill is nevertheless taking notice of what the Dolphins are doing in his absence.
That culminated in an implicitly contentious "peace sign" post from Hill on Wednesday once news broke that Ewers would start in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) December 17, 2025
Hill is a notorious social media troll whose X/Twitter bio once read something like, "I start something and run away." Could he spin his post into a positive? A mere allusion to his signature touchdown celebration, and imply that Ewers gives the Dolphins a better chance at scoring more points?
Possible. Highly unlikely. More cryptic was Hill's next post, where he seemed to imply that the retirement of left tackle Terron Armstead contributed to Tua's regression:
T stead fault he wanted to be a podcaster
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) December 17, 2025
Patrick Paul has played just fine in Armstead's stead by all accounts. Less clear what message Hill is trying to send with that remark.
Although he's been critical of Tua at times in the past, Hill's arrival in Miami coincided with a ringing endorsement for his quarterback. And that was before Tua started finding his mojo and lighting it up in McDaniel's scheme. Looks like Hill is backing his guy once more on his way out the door.
Read More: Tua Tagovailoa deserves Russell Wilson special after Dolphins' MNF debacle
The Dolphins would lose about $11 million in cap space even if they hit Tua with a post-June 1 designation upon his release. They could try to find a trade partner, but given how awful Tua has looked for much of the 2025 campaign, they'll be hard-pressed to find any suitors.
While Hill could also be dealt to another team, Miami will save the same amount of money whether he's released or traded. Pre-June 1 would net $23.65 million in 2026 cap savings, per OverTheCap.com. A post-June 1 cut would free up $36 million in cap room for next season.
So it's not like Hill's fate is a huge conundrum or some mystery-laden dilemma the Fins are grappling with behind the scenes. That said, he probably vanquished any remote chance there was of staying in Miami with his post about the team's landmark quarterback decision to roll with Ewers the rest of the way.