Tyreek Hill Downplays Not Being Voted Dolphins Captain, 'Don't Need a Title' to Lead

Despite quite a turbulent offseason that ended in him not being voted as a team captain after he held that position last year, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is ready to be a leader for his team.

"It's about the team, and I don't need a title to be able to lead," Hill told reporters Wednesday when discussing the lack of captaincy. "I'm going to continue to push the standard that coach and these guys are pushing in the locker room. I've always been a guy that led by example. So the captain thing is great, but I'm going to continue to do the small things, which is work hard, show up each and every day and bust my tail for this team."

That Hill wasn't named a team captain wasn't exactly surprising considering he told reporters at the end of last season (2:25 mark), "I'm out. It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, I gotta do what's best for my career, because I'm too much of a competitor to be just out there."

It didn't take the receiver long to walk those comments back and publicly apologize:

While head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier previously said they met with the eight-time Pro Bowler, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told reporters in July rebuilding that trust is a work in progress.

"It's not just with me, it's with a lot of the guys. I'm not the only one that heard that. You guys aren't the only people that heard that," Tagovailoa said. "A lot of people that follow football, that follow the Miami Dolphins, that follow Tyreek that are fans of his—everyone has seen that. So, 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.

"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 comments were one thing, but Hill, 31, would also be under the spotlight in 2025 after his numbers dropped off last season.

He led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches during the 2023 campaign only to finish with 959 receiving yards and six touchdown catches in 2024. The numbers were still solid, but they were not what fans have grown accustomed to seeing from the speedy playmaker.

Hill begins his efforts to bounce back with Sunday's season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, and he will strive to be a leader even if there isn't a "C" on his jersey.