6 Tyreek Hill trade partners who make sense for star wide receiver

These teams should pick up the phone if Tyreek is on the block.

Just in case coaching changes around the NFL weren’t enough for Black Monday, we also have the possibility of an emerging Tyreek Hill trade. The Dolphins wide receiver didn’t mince his words on Sunday about wanting out of Miami, and now he’s seemingly saying goodbye to the city on social media.

This would be a cataclysmic shift for the Miami offense, and to be clear they would definitely want to try and mend fences and keep him in the building. The Dolphins invested significant money into keeping their All Pro wide receiver, and at this point the return on their investment would not be close to his value as a player.

We’ve seen these kind of scenarios play out. When everything is said and done players (particularly stars) tend to get their way. It pressured the Raiders to trade Davante Adams, got Stefon Diggs out of Buffalo, and led to Amari Cooper landing on the Bills. There is a very real chance that before the 2025 season begins we have Tyreek Hill in a new uniform — but where?

There would be no shortage of teams lining up to try and make a deal for Tyreek Hill if he does hit the market. Any team wanting to secure his services would need to be prepared to take on at least $12M in salary and potentially up to $25.8M — with a lot of that depending on how much (if any) money the Dolphins are willing to pay.

What makes a potential Hill trade more fascinating is that it’s really difficult to measure his motivations. In moving from Kansas City to Miami it was clear that winning was secondary to money, and now he’s become increasingly concerned with personal records over necessarily winning a title. When a lot of veteran receivers get past 30 their primary concern becomes getting a ring, but with that already in the bag we could see Tyreek becoming willing to land on a worse team if it means upping personal glory as being part of a turnaround.

So let’s dive into the teams with the cap room (and the desire) to get someone like Tyreek Hill.

Chicago Bears

There’s no doubt that the Bears have massive issues on their offensive line which need to be fixed, but having a player like Tyreek Hill is one hell of a way to make life easy for Caleb Williams in his second year.

Williams’ deep ball accuracy was spotty in his rookie season, but played relatively smart, mistake-free football for much of the year. Hill immediately gives him a safety net on short routes that can build confidence, move chains, and open things up. Pair him with Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore and you have arguably the scariest group of receivers in the NFL out of the gate.

That won’t fix the amount of pressure Williams has been under, but getting the ball out quickly to Tyreek would take a lot of pressure off the need to overhaul the OL immediately.

Washington Commanders

At this point it’s all about throwing more fuel on the fire if you’re the Commanders. After Terry McLaurin the receiving depth falls off a cliff, and Washington’s 12-5 record this year was a lot about using players on borrowed time like Zach Ertz.

Hill would be a hand-meet-glove fit for Jayden Daniels, who is naturally gifted at ball placement and hitting runners in stride. With Hill it would add another dimension to the offense and take this team from already being really good, and potentially pushing them to have a vice grip on the NFC East.

If we factor in Kliff Kingsbury (assuming he doesn’t take a job elsewhere) there’s a real shot at the Commanders boasting one of the best offenses in the NFC with this move.

Carolina Panthers

If you’ve seen Bryce Young over the last 10 games you know why this makes so much sense. The Panthers offensive line is set, their running game is solid, Young is emerging as a star — but there’s simply no receivers ready to take him to the next level.

The offense did its best with Adam Thielen, but he’s not a long term option — especially as a No. 1 receiver. The Panthers are in dire need of someone like Hill to stretch the field and deliver more explosive plays. Couple his receiving talents with Bryce Young’s anticipation abilities and there could be something special there.

We know one former teammate of Hill’s is already trying to plant this seed.

Tennessee Titans

Calvin Ridley is very good, but this team needs a lot of offensive help. Pressure will be on Brian Callahan to perform in year two — presumably with a new quarterback. Hill makes sense here for many of the same reasons as Chicago and Carolina. There aren’t many receivers in the NFL who are able of making their quarterback better purely by being on the field, but Hill is one of them.

With a new stadium on the horizon and big public funding there’s pressure on this organization to start winning. They’ve made big, splashy trades in the past to try and make this a reality — but Hill would represent the kind of move that could actually allow this to happen.

Kansas City Chiefs

Never say never. It would be impossible to make this list without including Hill’s former team. A lot of work would need to be done on the salary side of things to allow the Chiefs to absorb Tyreek’s massive salary figure — but they could find a way.

The Chiefs are a very different team since Hill was last with them. Nevertheless, on offense they’re still precisely the kind of team who needs a Tyreek Hill. Patrick Mahomes has been working wonders with a sub-par group of talent since that trade went down, and this would get the band back together for another big run.

A bonus element is what Hill could teach rookie Xavier Worthy, with the two players being in a similar mold.

Pittsburgh Steelers

George Pickens and Calvin Austin III as a one-two punch is not nearly good enough for a playoff team like Pittsburgh. This organization is in dire need of a home run threat at receiver, and it’s unclear where they would find out outside of trading for an established player.

The one potential sticking point is that Mike Tomlin really doesn’t tolerate diva receivers, and to that end it could be a deal-breaker — but there would be something here for Russell Wilson as his arm strength diminishes. Wilson is still a smart QB who makes good decisions, but he needs a better YAC threat than Austin III.

Pittsburgh have the cap space to make a deal happen, and that could be the biggest element of this.