Tyreek Hill insisted he was staying. After the Miami Dolphins collapsed in Week 18 last season, squandering a playoff spot in a brutal 8–9 finish, Hill’s raw “I’m out” comment raised eyebrows. Since then, he’s walked it back. “I don’t want to go nowhere. I love [Miami], my family loves it,” he said. But in the NFL, loyalty is a handshake, not a contract. Hill, now 31, has no guaranteed money left after the 2025 season. That puts the pressure squarely on Miami’s front office: extend him, trade him, or risk losing him to the market. 

With the NFL’s post-June 1 cap rules now in effect, the Dolphins are in a far better position, financially speaking, to move on from Hill if they choose. Mike Florio has openly floated the idea, noting the Dolphins would absorb a $12.728 million cap charge this year and defer $15.568 million to 2026 if Hill were traded after June 1. Compare that to a pre-June 1 move, where the full $28.296 million in unallocated signing bonus would accelerate immediately to 2025.

In an NFL on NBC video, Florio said, “I believe that if there’s a team out there that has properly read the tea leaves and is just lurking until June 2 rolls around, because that’s when the Dolphins can much more manage the cap consequences. After June 1, if you trade a guy, any future bonus acceleration doesn’t rush into this year. Before June 1, if you trade a guy, all pending, unallocated bonus comes into this year, and it makes for a much bigger cap charge. So they can defer the bulk of the cap hit to 2026 if they trade him after June 1.”

So, the logic becomes clearer: if a move is going to happen, it’s going to happen now. There’s no guarantee it will. But reports state that at least a handful of teams are lurking. And, one of them is San Francisco. According to multiple reports, San Francisco has made an early pitch to trade for Tyreek Hill. In a recent NFL on NBC video, Mike Florio and Michael Holley unpacked Hill’s complex profile. They single out the 49ers as the next possible destination for Tyreek. Florio said in the video, “There’s no obvious contender. Although the 49ers, you look at their depth chart, they would benefit if they can handle Tyreek Hill.” Some reports even suggested a blockbuster swap—Aiyuk for Hill. 

49ers GM John Lynch hasn’t ruled out adding another wideout even though he feels good about the current room. “You never close the door on that,” Lynch said on Bay Area radio this week. “I don’t think we have to. Like I said, I think there’s a lot of quality and a lot of competition, and you kind of let that play out. And if opportunity presents itself to get better, then we’ll always be interested in that. But right now, we don’t feel like we’re in a situation where we have to.”

But the team is juggling its own cap puzzle. Brock Purdy is next in line for a major payday, likely putting him among the league’s highest earners. That kind of money forces hard decisions elsewhere. Brandon Aiyuk just inked a $120 million deal over four years, and while he’s been a top-tier target, trade rumors around him haven’t quieted. Florio said, “But I don’t know that anybody wants to do that deal, especially if you’re looking at 25.85 million this year.” The cap issue is indeed serious. The 49ers are working with close to $44 million in available cap space.

Even though Hill has questionable locker room dynamics, it will be interesting to see how June pans out for him and which team gives his team a call. 

Tyreek Hill’s limited options in the franchise

Tyreek Hill may still be one of the most explosive players in football, but the list of teams willing to deal with him? It’s getting short—fast. The reason? It’s attitude. Florio didn’t hold back: “He has had major wrist surgery. He does have a history of being a little difficult to handle, right? Short fuse, problem behind the scenes, all the stuff the Chiefs were dealing with where they reached their wits end and we didn’t even know.” That background adds another layer of risk for any team looking to invest in Hill long-term.

Fans get a clear picture of Hill’s situation. “He would be good in Washington,” Florio says, “but Washington got Deebo Samuel instead.” Pittsburgh could’ve used his speed, “but they picked up D.K. Metcalf.” Even teams with a history of bold moves seem out. “I don’t think San Francisco would put up with him,” Florio adds. Kansas City? “They’ve already moved on.”

And then comes the sobering truth by Florrio predicting Tyreek’s mindset: “If I want to be on a bigger stage or if I want a new contract, if I want to compete for a Super Bowl, it’s pretty limited. The market is limited for me. I can’t think of a team.” That’s the NFL reality. A player who once had the league chasing him now can’t even find a seat at the table.

Hill hasn’t exactly helped his cause either. He’s already crossed Buffalo off the list of possibilities, and not quietly. In a now-viral video, Hill rides in a limousine, surrounded by YouTubers, letting loose about his long-standing grudge with the Bills. “I don’t f— with the Bills,” he said. “When I used to play in Kansas City bruh, it was always f— the Bills every time we played against them. And we f—– them up every time.” But it doesn’t stop there. “In Miami it’s the same thing too though, but like 10 times harder. It’s f— the Bills all day. All they wanna do is jump through f—— tables ’cause they got fking CTE. Stupid f—– fans.”

That kind of fire might play in a locker room, but it’s not always welcome in a front office. The NFL is a business, and business decisions weigh personality just as much as production. Hill’s resume still sparkles, but the warning signs flash just as bright. And if the market is this cold now, he may need more than speed to find a new home.