Dolphins release five-time All-Pro Tyreek Hill in cost-saving overhaul

On President's Day (Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 ET), the Miami Dolphins stunned the league by releasing five-time All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill as part of a series of cost-saving moves that clear significant 2026 salary-cap space. The decision closes Hill's four-year run in Miami and sends the veteran into free agency while he continues to rehabilitate a serious knee injury sustained in 2025.

Sweeping roster cuts create more than $56 million of cap relief

The Hill release came amid a flurry of transactions that included cuts at multiple positions. The moves — which also involved the departures of a veteran guard and a depth wideout — free in excess of $56 million against next year’s salary cap and are the first major public step in a roster overhaul directed by head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. One more high-profile player remains in limbo and could be designated for a post-June 1 cut to maximize cap savings.

Those cap gains convert a club that was more than $17 million over the limit into one with meaningful flexibility entering free agency and the April draft. The team also holds the No. 11 overall pick, giving the front office multiple avenues to replenish talent after consecutive losing seasons.

Hill’s status, résumé and free-agent outlook

Hill leaves Miami with an exceptional résumé: 819 career receptions for 11, 363 yards and 83 touchdowns. He earned eight Pro Bowl nods and five first-team All-Pro selections over a career that included two seasons of 1, 700-plus receiving yards and a career year in 2023 with a league-leading 1, 799 yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.

But the immediate cloud over Hill’s future is medical. He suffered a dislocated knee and torn ligaments in Week 4 of the 2025 season and finished that abbreviated year with 21 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown. With rehabilitation ongoing, there is no clear timeline for a return to the field, and uncertainty about whether he will play in 2026 remains.

Had Hill remained on the roster, $11 million of his contract was set to become fully guaranteed this month, a financial inflection point that likely factored into Miami’s decision. Now a free agent, Hill can sign with any club immediately rather than waiting for the new league year. At age 31 heading into his 32nd season, his market will be shaped by both his historic playmaking pedigree and the seriousness of his injury.

What the move means for Miami’s offense

With Hill's exit, Miami’s wide receiver room is in full rebuild mode. The roster currently lists two players who registered double-digit catches last season: the team’s primary short-route weapon and a secondary target who showed growth. Other contributors who combined for starts and snaps last season are now free agents, leaving the club thin at depth receiver and raising pressing questions about quarterback continuity and the identity of the passing attack.

The organization has signaled a broader reset that includes a commitment to retooling both the pass rush and receiving corps. For fans and analysts, the key questions are immediate: how will the team replace explosive downfield play, what veteran additions might be pursued with the new cap breathing room, and which pieces will be targeted with the top-15 draft pick?

Interest from the league and next steps

Even while rehabbing, Hill remains a compelling option for teams that think a one- or two-year arrangement makes sense. A former teammate publicly urged a reunion with the club that originally made Hill a star, underscoring the range of narratives that could shape his next stop. For Miami, the release is an unmistakable declaration of a new direction under Hafley and Sullivan: a decisive break from several familiar faces and the start of a rebuild intended to restore competitiveness.

Hill will now weigh medical progress, roster interest and personal preference before deciding his next move. For the Dolphins, the immediate focus shifts to filling the resulting holes around the roster while leveraging newfound cap flexibility and draft capital to accelerate the turnaround.