Talk about going from the outhouse to the penthouse of the NFL. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle went from staring down a lengthy rebuild as one of Miami's few viable players to joining the AFC's reigning No. 1 seed in the blink of an eye.
Even though the massive Waddle trade that sent him to Denver only exacerbated the Dolphins' dire 2026 salary cap situation, they must have some kind of workaround. Plus, they're armed with all the draft capital they could ever want.
One core player (among others) the Fins couldn't find a trade partner for was Waddle's former running mate, Tyreek Hill. A brutal leg injury cut Hill's 2025 season short and put his NFL future in serious question.
Hill still has a fondness for Waddle, however, as he took to social media in the wake of Tuesday's massive trade to encourage his ex-teammate.
Ex-Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill implores Jaylen Waddle to make the most of new opportunity with Broncos
With a hat tip to FinsXtra on X/Twitter, Hill posted a brief but heartfelt message to Waddle on his Instagram story once news of the Dolphins-Broncos trade broke.
"Go thrive my boy be great!!!" Hill wrote.
It must've been a tough go of it from Waddle's vantage point to see how everything went up in smoke with the Dolphins ever since he got drafted there sixth overall in 2021.
Waddle got to reunite with his Alabama college quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, only to see scary head injuries derail his career. The arrival of Hill via trade gave Waddle so much more room to operate as part of a premier 1-2 punch at wide receiver, only for Tua's injuries, Hill's regression/injury, and poor backup QB play to lay waste to all those good vibes.
Still only 27 years old, Waddle has a lot of time to build a strong back half of his career in Denver. Not that Bo Nix is some world beater at QB, but the Broncos have an elite defense, and Nix should only continue progressing under head coach Sean Payton's guidance.
You can tell Hill has the sense already that Waddle is going to run with his opportunity in the Mile High City. Sometimes, a change of scenery can reinvigorate a player. That's bound to be the case for Waddle, just by the nature of going to a proven, winning organization.
As for Hill, well, the best he can do right now is cheer Waddle on from the sidelines, focus on his continued rehab, and hope another NFL team calls once he's medically cleared.