Two integral parts of the Miami Dolphins offense faced criticism after the late-season collapse that ended in a seven-point performance at Arrowhead Stadium: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and head coach/offensive play-caller Mike McDaniel.
The day after the AFC and NFC Championship games on January 29, Dolphins superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill took to social media to defend the latter.
“Everybody forgetting Coach Dan Campbell was 3-13 I think his first year in Detroit,” Hill voiced unexpectedly. Campbell and the Lions were actually 3-13-1 in 2021, but the point appeared to be that the current coach of the year finalist got off to a really rough start in the Motor City.
In a follow-up post, Hill connected the dots to McDaniel — who’s only entering year three as HC in 2024.
“I say that to say what Coach McDaniel is doing in Miami is already special,” he continued boldly, adding: “It’s understandable expectations are high keep them that way.”
Hill has stepped into a leadership role with the Dolphins, and a good captain isn’t afraid to stand up and face the masses. “The Cheetah” did that on Monday, and he’s a great person for McDaniel to have in his corner should things go south.
“Thought I’d share that 🤣,” Hill concluded after briefly causing a stir on X.
NFL Reporter Questions Whether or Not Mike McDaniel Should Continue as Dolphins Play-Caller in 2024
On January 15, Pro Football Network reporter Adam Beasley questioned whether or not McDaniel should give up playing calling duties in 2024.
“Has Mike McDaniel had too much on his plate in his two seasons with the Miami Dolphins?” Beasley began. “It’s a fair question after a second straight late-season swoon by the Dolphins in general and Miami’s offense in particular.”
Beasley went on to suggest that McDaniel could be “preoccupied with managing the game” — which could be impacting his play-calling — or vice versa.
“I think you’re always assessing things,” McDaniel told reporters when asked about potentially giving up play-calling duties next year. “An important part of right after the season is to make sure that you’re not making your judgments based upon the emotion of the rollercoaster ride that you just went on. I think you have to critically assess by slowly evaluating everything.”
McDaniel did note that “nothing is off the table, ever,” but he didn’t commit to handing over the play sheet either. “To just say — ‘Well, that’s the way we’ve done it’ — that’s not a good enough reason for me.”
If McDaniel did choose to give up the responsibility, either offensive coordinator Frank Smith or passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell would be the most likely candidate to replace him. The former has received mild head coaching interest this cycle.
Will Dolphins Approach Tyreek Hill About Extension or Contract Restructure in 2024?
Part of the reason — a large part — that Hill came to Miami in the first place was money. The Dolphins paid the playmaker handsomely for his services after first spending a ton of draft capital to acquire him, and it’s hard to say how open he might be to any sort of cap-lowering move.
Sports Illustrated Miami beat writer Omar Kelly wrote an article discussing “10 tough decisions [the] Dolphins must make before 2024 free agency” in an effort to free up cap space. One of his 10 bullet points involved Hill.
“Extend Tyreek Hill’s contract or restructure it?” Kelly headlined the section, writing:
“Hill owns the largest contract for an NFL receiver when it comes to average salary ($30 million), and Miami could create some much-needed cap space by re-structuring his contract, potentially adding a year or two to it.”
“Hill’s due $19.8 million in 2024 and the Dolphins can turn all of that to a signing bonus, dropping his cap hit from $31 million to something in the $6-8 million range,” Kelly outlined. “It’s likely that Hill, who led the NFL in receiving yards, will want more guaranteed money and years on his deal, which is typically the price of doing business with elite players.”
The reporter concluded that “the only way this could be considered a bad route to take is if Miami knows Hill’s physically falling apart and doesn’t feel the All-Pro receiver will be an NFL elite for another 2-3 seasons.”
Hill has seesawed back and forth on how long he’d like to play in the NFL, but the expectation is that he’d like to finish out his contract. Assuming no more years are added, that would mean three more seasons in Miami through 2026 — although that final 2026 cap hit of $56.3 million-plus is obviously untenable.
The Dolphins can clear $45 million of that cap charge by releasing Hill ahead of the final season of his deal according to Over the Cap.
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Tyreek Hill Sends Dolphins Nation Bold Message on Mike McDaniel