MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Any concerns about Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill’s relationship off the field can officially be put to bed, according to the Miami Dolphins quarterback.
Tagovailoa said Wednesday that he and wide receiver Hill are “good” as the team prepares for its season opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Earlier this summer, Tagovailoa told reporters that Hill had to rebuild his teammates’ trust in him after suggesting he wanted a trade at the end of the 2024 season. On Wednesday, however, Tagovailoa said his comments were overblown.
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“I think people might’ve blown it out of proportion,” he said. “I mean, we’ve worked on it, and I think that conversation is dead now. I think once people see Tyreek score on Sunday, everyone will forget about that. So, we’re in a good spot and we’ve been in a good spot for some time as well, so I’m really happy with that.”
Hill pulled himself from Miami’s regular-season finale in January and hinted at a trade request to media in the locker room after the game. No request ever came, according to Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, and Hill walked back his comments and apologized in February.
During the Dolphins’ first week of training camp, Tagovailoa said that “everybody makes mistakes” and insisted on cutting Hill “some grace,” but added that Hill’s comments weren’t easily ignored.
“When you say something like that, you don’t just come back from that with, ‘Hey, my bad.’ You got to work that relationship up; you’ve got to build everything back up again,” Tagovailoa said in July. “He’s working on himself; he’s working on the things that he says he wants to get better with and do better on. So that’s the first step to me, and so I commend him for doing that.”
The 2024 season was frustrating for both players; Hill recorded his fewest receiving yards since 2019, and Tagovailoa missed a career-high six games. The tandem didn’t share the field much this offseason as Hill worked his way back from offseason wrist surgery and missed the final three weeks of offseason practice in August with an oblique injury.
Hill returned to practice last week, however, and was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice with oblique and calf injuries. Barring any setbacks, he is expected to play Sunday against Indianapolis.
Speaking after practice Wednesday, he agreed with Tagovailoa that their relationship concerns were overblown, saying he still considers him a brother.
“At the end of the day, me and Tua know exactly where we stand at,” Hill said. “He knows and I know that we both have a brother for the rest of our life. We going to continue to build each and every day. … Brothers fight all the time. I fight with my brothers, we go at it all the time — but at the end of the day, we know what the main goal is. We still a family.”
Hill added that he’s focused on doing the small things that help the team win — showing up on time, being the last one out the building and working hard.
He wasn’t voted a captain for the 2025 season, but he said that won’t stop him from leading by example.
“At the end of the day, I feel like it’s about the team, and I don’t need a title to be able to lead,” Hill said. “I’m going to continue to push the standard that Coach and these guys are pushing in the locker room. And I’ve always been a guy that led by example. So the captain thing is great, but like I said, I’m going to continue to do the small things — which is work hard, show up to practice every day, bust my tail for this team and try to win games.”
