Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill has made headlines for the wrong reasons on more than one occasion since the end of last season, and Tua Tagovailoa indicated on Wednesday that the team is not simply going to forget about all of that.
Tagovailoa was asked at training camp about the way Hill essentially demanded a trade at the end of last season. Following a Week 18 loss to the New York Jets, Hill spoke about his tenure with the Dolphins in the past tense and told reporters he is “out.” You can see the full rant here.
Tagovailoa said on Wednesday that he views Hill’s relationship with the team as a “work in progress.”
“When you say something like that you don’t just come back with, ‘My bad.’ You gotta work that relationship up,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “He is working on himself.”
Tua Tagovailoa says Tyreek Hill rebuilding relationship with him & team is a “work in progress” after Tyreek WK18 ‘I’m out’ comment.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) July 23, 2025
Tua: “When you say something like that you don’t just come back with ‘My bad.’ You gotta work that relationship up. He is working on himself.” pic.twitter.com/acv6Fq2Eps
Hill eventually apologized for his Week 18 comments and said he wished he handled the situation better. Tagovailoa feels the All-Pro wideout needs to actually prove that he wants to be in Miami rather than just saying it.
Tua Tagovailoa says he commends Tyreek Hill for taking first step of working on himself and noted Tyreek has been more vulnerable with teammates about his personal life.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) July 23, 2025
But Tua noted everybody saw what Tyreek said WK18 & work needs to be done to show what he says.
Even after saying he is happy with the Dolphins, Hill had multiple social media posts during the offseason that suggested otherwise. That likely added to the frustration for Tagovailoa and other members of the team.
Hill has also had issues that have nothing to do with football. He had incidents with law enforcement last year, and his wife filed for divorce following a domestic dispute.
Hill told reporters on Tuesday that he is entering 2025 with a new perspective. He said he plans to “bust my tail for myself and then also for this community and this team.” Hill also admitted he needs to be “better as a leader,” which is consistent with the recent response he gave when asked if he deserves to be a team captain.
The 31-year-old Hill had two huge seasons upon joining the Dolphins. He caught 119 passes for 1,710 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2022, which was his first season with Miami. In 2023, he caught 119 passes for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Last season, Hill’s stats dropped down to 81 catches for 959 yards and 6 touchdowns in 17 games as the Dolphins dealt with poor quarterback play when Tua Tagovailoa was unavailable. Hill also played through a wrist injury.
With all that has happened in the past year, Tagovailoa probably is not convinced that Hill is ready to put the team before himself. It is hard to blame the veteran quarterback for feeling that way.
