Tua Says Tyreek Hill Needs to Rebuild Trust with Dolphins After 'I'm Out' Comment

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa says his relationship with Tyreek Hill is a "work in progress" after the wide receiver seemingly told reporters he wanted "out" from the franchise at the end of the 2024 season.

“When you say something like that, you don’t just come back from that with, ‘Hey, my bad,'" Tagovailoa told reporters at the 4:30 mark of his Wednesday press conference. "You gotta work that relationship up. You got to build everything up again.

"And yeah, it's still a work in progress, not just for me, but for everybody. But, like I said, he's working on himself."

The Dolphins missed the playoffs for the first time in the Mike McDaniel era with a Week 18 loss to the New York Jets.

After the loss, Hill told reporters, "I'm out, bruh. It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, I have to do what's best for my career."

Hill later said those comments were borne from "frustration" and that he wanted to remain with the Dolphins.

Tagovailoa said on Wednesday that Hill has been more open with the team this offseason "not just about football, but about things off the field."

"I think that's the first step to him building true relationships, and a real connection with a lot of the guys in there," Tagovailoa said. "Everyone knows what he can do on the field. Everyone respects what he can do on the field. But I think he's still trying to figure things out for himself at right, kind of the man he wants to be.

"He's not too young. Everybody makes mistakes. It's just, some people, they're in the spotlight, and their deals get pushed out more than some others. So, just got to cut him some grace. I mean, that's our teammate. You know, we love him, but as a person, if you get to know him, I think you'd love him to."

Hill didn't finish out the Dolphins' Week 18 loss, a decision which McDaniel later indicated wasn't due to injury and which Hill said took place after he looked "up at the scoreboard" and saw the Denver Broncos were on their way to clinching the last Wild Card spot in the AFC by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs.

McDaniel said after the season that he had told Hill that "it's not acceptable to leave the game and it won't be tolerated in the future."

Hill said in a January livestream that he had been frustrated by the Dolphins' struggles because he's "been winning my whole life," and that the franchise needed to "fit this s--t."

The wide receiver seemed more apologetic about the comments in February, when he told Kay Adams in an appearance on the Up & Adams show that he was making a "public apology" to Tagovailoa.

"Tua, he's my guy. Always will be my guy, no matter what," Hill told Adams. "I'm sure he understands my frustration. We all want to win."

When asked if he wanted to say sorry to his team, Hill said, "Yeah. But they already know that, though. They know I'm not that kind of player."

Tagovailoa's comments on Wednesday show Hill may have farther to go than he indicated in February before he completely regains his standing with his quarterback and his teammates.

Hill is heading into the second season of a restructured $90 million contract with $65 million in guaranteed money. He is currently signed through the 2026 season and set to hit free agency ahead of the 2027 campaign.