Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill suffered a gruesome-looking knee injury in the third quarter of Miami’s “Monday Night Football” game against the Jets. He was carted off the field, quickly ruled out and taken to a local hospital, the team announced. After the game, Mike McDaniel confirmed Hill dislocated his kneecap, as several reports indicated, and Hill will stay overnight.
The Dolphins were leading 10-3 less than two minutes after halftime when Hill caught a 10-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa to convert a third-and-8. However, as Hill went to the ground out of bounds, his left leg got caught under him and bent at a very awkward angle.
According to ESPN sideline reporter Katie George, the training staffs of both teams worked quickly to help Hill, cutting off his cleat and the tape around his ankle/foot area to get his leg into a stabilizer. Players from both teams took a knee and then went over to offer support to Hill, who waved to the crowd as he exited the field on a cart. ESPN cameras captured Hill in a wheelchair leaving the stadium with his leg in a brace and a staff member holding Hill’s foot up to keep the leg straight.
Hill, 31, had 15 catches for 198 yards and a touchdown across the first three weeks of the season and was on his way to another big performance against the Jets with six catches for 67 yards when the injury occurred.
Hill is in his fourth season with the Dolphins. After 1,710 receiving yards in his 2022 debut with Miami, he had an NFL-leading 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023 before a down 2024 when Tagovailoa missed significant time.
Tagovailoa had spoken highly of Hill’s maturity and the relationship between the two just before the season began, and Hill was off to a solid start to this year. With Hill out, Jaylen Waddle becomes the Dolphins’ de facto No. 1 wide receiver; Malik Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine will likely see more snaps as well.
What does this mean for Tyreek Hill’s future?
A dislocated knee — as the Dolphins fear — is not only significant injuries for football players but very dangerous injuries for human beings in general. That’s why medical staffs from both teams worked so quickly to get Hill’s leg stabilized and get Hill to a hospital.
In a knee dislocation, there’s a risk of injury to the popliteal artery, which supplies blood to the lower leg and foot. Hence, examining the health of the knee and the popliteal artery as soon as possible is paramount to ensure the long-term health of the leg.
It’s important to know that if Hill does have a dislocated knee, it’s an injury that comes with significant ligament damage. Last year, Tank Dell suffered a dislocated knee and also a torn ACL, torn MCL and torn LCL. Dell has not played since and is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season.
At 31, Hill faces a long and arduous recovery regardless of the exact prognosis, which could take time to determine.
If Hill is able to/wants to return, his contract status is a key secondary storyline. He is in the second year of a three-year, $90 million extension he signed in 2024. Miami has an out after this season, however. If the Dolphins choose to do so, they can cut Hill with $28,248,750 in dead cap. If they cut him before June 1, 2026, that entire dead cap hit would be in 2026. They could also designate Hill as a post-June 1 release, in which he would carry a $15,898,750 dead cap hit in 2026 and a $12,350,000 dead cap hit in 2027.
Trade rumors regarding Hill have circled ever since his contentious end to last season. However, as of early this season, the Dolphins had no plans to trade Hill, nor had they received any trade interest for him, per reports.
Ultimately, the severity of the injury will be the determining factor as to whether Hill has played his final NFL down. On a shorter, smaller contract, he could have suitors, though they likely will be signing a player with a significant road to recovery ahead.
What does this mean for Miami’s season?
The Dolphins beat the Jets to improve to 1-3 on the season. After a blowout loss to begin the season, Miami dropped a close contest against the Patriots in Week 2 and put forward a solid effort on the road on a short week against the Bills in Week 3. Still, they hadn’t gotten over the hump until now. Even though it was against a winless team, it was a good — if costly — result.
Hill’s speed and quickness have been crucial for Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel’s offense, which uses a lot of pre-snap and during-snap motion as well as quick-hitting passes. Hill’s speed makes him a threat as a receiver and a runner as well as after the catch.
Waddle brings some similar elements, but he’s not as jittery in his stop-and-start ability as Hill is. Miami funnels a ton of targets to its top three pass-catchers — Hill, Waddle and De’Von Achane — so finding a new face to complete that trio will be a challenge. Washington has been used as a veratile pass-catcher and runner, and Darren Waller caught a pair of touchdown passes in his first game since the 2023 season.
Miami could use more multiple tight end looks; in the second half, it used two tight ends on 14% of its plays after zero such plays over the first three weeks.
Miami has dug itself a significant hole early, and losing Hill is a major blow. However, it will allow Miami to evaluate its personnel at pass-catcher — a crucial aspect, especially given the nature of the injury and Hill’s age and contract.
