Tyreek Hill says he wants to keep playing, and he’s free to sign with any team. The Dolphins released him on Monday. I expect there will be teams interested in signing him.
There are pitfalls that will restrict how much teams are willing to risk. He’ll be 32 at the end of next week, and he’s trying to come back from a dislocated knee injury that involved a torn ACL. He probably won’t be as explosive as he’s been in the past.
There are also off-field dynamics to consider. Hill never seems to go too long without an off-field incident of some kind, dating back to getting kicked off the team at Oklahoma State. Divorce proceedings from last year included allegations of domestic violence, which could trigger a league suspension. Hill with the Dolphins took himself out of a game late in 2024, suggesting he wanted to be traded, questioned Tua Tagovailoa and suggested DeVon Achane shouldn’t be used in short-yardage situations.
But Hill also has played at the highest level, which will always interest teams, particularly if the price is right. He led the league with 1,799 receiving yards in 2023.
While the health situation is particularly worrying, other older receivers have been able to return from injuries. Most recently, Stefon Diggs caught 85 passes for the Patriots a year after missing over half of the 2024 season with a torn ACL.
In the last 20 years, 17 wide receivers have missed at least half of a season when at least 30 years old, then returned to post top-40 numbers at some point in the future. (That’s using PPR scoring). Another 10 have at least ranked in the top 60.
For now, I don’t think anybody would select Tyreek Hill in a fantasy draft with the expectation of him being their leading receiver, but perhaps some would choose him thinking he could be a No. 2. When we get down to picking third and fourth wide receivers, there should be considerable interest in Hill.
| OLDER RECEIVERS COMING BACK | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player (missed G) | Age | G | Rec | Yds | TD | PPR | Rk |
| 2006 | Terrell Owens, Dall. (9) | 33 | 16 | 85 | 1180 | 13 | 283.0 | 2 |
| 2007 | Terrell Owens, Dall. (9) | 34 | 15 | 81 | 1355 | 15 | 307.0 | 3 |
| 2012 | Andre Johnson, Hou. (9) | 31 | 16 | 112 | 1598 | 4 | 295.8 | 6 |
| 2013 | Andre Johnson, Hou. (9) | 32 | 16 | 109 | 1407 | 5 | 279.7 | 10 |
| 2008 | Terrell Owens, Dall. (9) | 35 | 16 | 69 | 1052 | 10 | 237.5 | 11 |
| 2007 | Bobby Engram, Sea. (9) | 34 | 16 | 94 | 1147 | 6 | 244.7 | 12 |
| 2005 | Terry Glenn, Dall. (10) | 31 | 16 | 62 | 1136 | 8 | 223.2 | 15 |
| 2005 | Keenan McCardell, S.D. (9) | 35 | 16 | 70 | 917 | 9 | 216.3 | 17 |
| 2010 | Terrell Owens, Cin. (9) | 37 | 14 | 72 | 983 | 9 | 224.3 | 17 |
| 2025 | Stefon Diggs, N.E. (9) | 32 | 17 | 85 | 1013 | 4 | 210.3 | 17 |
| 2006 | Terry Glenn, Dall. (10) | 32 | 15 | 70 | 1047 | 6 | 211.8 | 20 |
| 2009 | Terrell Owens, Buff. (9) | 36 | 16 | 55 | 829 | 6 | 179.3 | 27 |
| 2014 | Andre Johnson, Hou. (9) | 33 | 15 | 85 | 936 | 3 | 196.6 | 28 |
| 2005 | Terrell Owens, Phil. (9) | 32 | 7 | 47 | 763 | 6 | 159.5 | 36 |
| 2008 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. (11) | 36 | 15 | 60 | 636 | 5 | 153.6 | 36 |
| 2016 | Steve Smith, Balt. (9) | 37 | 14 | 70 | 799 | 5 | 183.9 | 37 |
| 2014 | Malcom Floyd, S.D. (14) | 33 | 16 | 52 | 856 | 6 | 173.6 | 40 |
| 2007 | Amani Toomer, NYG (8) | 33 | 16 | 59 | 760 | 3 | 153.0 | 41 |
| 2007 | David Patten, N.O. (11) | 33 | 16 | 54 | 792 | 3 | 150.7 | 43 |
| 2008 | Amani Toomer, NYG (8) | 34 | 16 | 48 | 580 | 4 | 130.0 | 48 |
| 2014 | Reggie Wayne, Ind. (9) | 36 | 15 | 64 | 779 | 2 | 153.9 | 50 |
| 2007 | Brandon Stokley, Den. (12) | 31 | 13 | 40 | 635 | 5 | 132.9 | 53 |
| 2015 | Steve Smith, Balt. (9) | 36 | 7 | 46 | 670 | 3 | 131.0 | 53 |
| 2008 | Brandon Stokley, Den. (12) | 32 | 15 | 49 | 528 | 3 | 119.8 | 54 |
| 2015 | Andre Johnson, Ind. (9) | 34 | 16 | 41 | 503 | 4 | 115.3 | 58 |
| 2012 | Brandon Stokley, Den. (14) | 36 | 15 | 45 | 544 | 5 | 129.4 | 60 |
| 2021 | Antonio Brown, T.B. (15) | 33 | 7 | 42 | 545 | 4 | 121.1 | 60 |
—Ian Allan
