‘Relationships to mend’ – After demanding exit, Tyreek Hill’s teammate cautions Miami Dolphins star
The loss ensured that, for the first time ever, Hill missed out on the postseason.
It was also a disappointing campaign on an individual level for Hill as he failed to crack 1,000 receiving yards for the third time in his career.
Hill later wished his followers on X a Happy New Year but curiously added ‘especially to the Chiefs’ to his post, dropping a not-so-subtle hint as to where he’d like to move next.
Given Hill is one of the Dolphins’ captains, Armstead – also a team captain – was disappointed with the 30-year-old’s choice of words.
However, Armstead pointed to Hill’s outburst as an example of his insatiable desire to win.
“Tyreek is explosive,” Armstead told talkSPORT.
“And that word is in a lot of different areas. But he’s explosive, he’s dynamic. He’s a competitor, the ultimate competitor.
“And that’s what I love about him the most, he really wants to win. So when he doesn’t, it bothers him to the depths of his core.
“I know the words that he said after our last game, I can’t excuse him for it. As a captain and as a leader, you can’t do it.
“He has some mending to do with relationships and just getting that energy back to where it needs to be.
“But his desire to win, his competitiveness, his explosiveness, his confidence, his history of winning is everything that’s needed from one of your leaders.
“He really feels like he’s unguardable and unstoppable and we need that.”
Such is the viral nature of social media, Hill’s post-game comments spread like wildfire across various platforms.
However, Hill’s outburst didn’t exactly catch Armstead by surprise given internal frustrations among the team they missed out on the playoffs for the first time under head coach Mike McDaniel.
Yet Armstead doubled down in his stance that someone of Hill’s standing within the Dolphins and the league as a whole ‘just can’t happen’.
“I talked to him immediately after and he was regretful,” Armstead said.
“As we rode on the bus together going to the plane, he was immediately aware.
“But especially in today’s age, once you say anything or put out a tweet, it’s all over the world.
“So there is some mending that needs to be done and I think with some energy and effort, it can be done.”
Even though Armstead hopes Hill will stick around in Miami, there is still the possibility he gets traded.
However, if the Dolphins trade Hill before June 1, it would mean they have to eat $44million in dead cap space with savings of only $15.5m.
But after the deadline, the $44m hit would be spread over the 2025 and 2026 seasons, meaning a release before 2026 would be rather costly for the Dolphins.
