Tyreek Hill Softens Stance on Retirement; Talks Super Bowl and Hall of Fame
Tyreek Hill backed off his retirement talk in his first official press conference of the 2023 season.
The Miami Dolphins’ All-Pro receiver, who earlier this offseason stated he planned to finish out the final four seasons on his contract, and then retire, provided a more thorough explanation on his future when asked for clarity.
“I can continue to play this game for forever, I feel like,” said Hill, who caught 119 passes for 1,710 yards and scored eight touchdowns last season, his first in Miami. “I’m feeling great. Obviously I’m still fast.”
So where did the retirement talk come from?
“My dad had a chance to talk with me the past two years," Hill said. "He told me, ‘You can make all the money in the world, but what is it for if you’re not able to spend it? You don’t want to spend your whole life working. You want to be able to enjoy your life.’
“That’s kind of what I’ve been doing. I’ve been traveling the world. I was able to go to three countries this offseason. I really enjoyed that. I don’t know, man. If I keep traveling the country like I’m doing, who knows, man. I’m enjoying life, having fun.”
Hill, whose goals for the 2023 season is to become the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiver and to lead the Dolphins to the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance since 1984, is in the second year of a five-year, $140 million extension, which concludes in 2026 when he's due $45 million in base salary and bonuses.
If he plays out the existing contract, Hill will have played 11 seasons at the ripe age of 32.
TYREEK HILL AND THE HALL OF FAME
If he stays healthy, and remains at his present pace of averaging 85 receptions and 1,191 yards per season, Hill quickly will pass the 10,000 receiving yard threshold in the next two seasons.
To ensure he’s a Hall of Fame candidate, Hill probably will need to pass the 13,000-yard threshold, which could be achieved with the Dolphins if he plays to 2026.
But even that’s no guarantee considering Steve Smith Sr., Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Henry Ellard and Torry Holt all have 13,000 or more receiving yards and haven’t gained induction into the Hall of Fame.
Hill hasn’t been shy about saying that becoming a Hall of Famer, joining football royalty by being voted into football's most elite collection of players, executives and coaches, is one of his career goals.
Even though the Hall of Fame doesn’t associate players with a team like baseball does, when asked Wednesday what team he’d like to be identified with, the former Kansas City Chiefs standout provided a surprising answer.
“Obviously I have a lot of history down in Kansas City," he said. "Shout-out to those guys down there. Andy (Reid), Brett Veach, John Dorsey, Mr. Clark (Hunt). Those guys brought me in and gave me a chance. A young kid from south Georgia that they believed in.
"But I feel like (what I’m doing) here is much more special. You’re in a great city with a bunch of legends. Being able to do something here similar to what the (undefeated) ‘72 team did would be remarkable. I would want to enter (the Hall of Fame) here.”
