As the NFL world awaits the Dolphins’ decision on their plans for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, they already are making significant calls concerning their other highest-paid players.
Miami will release eight-time Pro Bowl receiver Tyreek Hill, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, as well as two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Bradley Chubb, as first reported by Monday morning by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The 31-year-old Hill is recovering from a dislocation and torn ACL in his left knee suffered in a game against the Jets in September.
He will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, and the move will save the Dolphins $22.8 million against the salary cap, Schefter reported.
A former Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, Hill has totaled 1,201 career receptions for 11,363 yards and 83 touchdowns. He was acquired from Kansas City in a 2022 deal for five draft picks, including one first-round selection.
Hill also was involved in a domestic dispute in Florida involving his wife and other family members in April of last year, in which police were called, although no charges were filed. Charges also had not been filed following a 2019 investigation into child-abuse allegations while with the Chiefs in 2019.
The 29-year-old Chubb — the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Broncos — was acquired by Miami in a midseason trade during the 2022 season for a package featuring a first-round pick. He registered 22 sacks in 41 games for the Dolphins, including 8.5 in 17 appearances this season after missing all of 2024 with a torn ACL.
With two years remaining on the two-time Pro Bowler’s three-year, $54.4 million contract, the move would provide $7.3 million in cap savings for the Dolphins, but it would leave them with almost $24 million in dead money on the salary cap, according to reports. If the transaction is designated after June 1, the cap savings would expand to $20.3 million, according to ESPN.
The Dolphins, who hired Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their new head coach, still must make a decision about the future of Tagovailoa, who is owed $54 million guaranteed for next season.
Hafley and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan recently met with Tagovailoa.
“We’re getting close to a decision,” Sullivan said at a Dolphins fan event last week. “And when we do, we’ll let Tua know whether he’s gonna be part of this or not, and we’ll move forward. But you can rest assured that we will add competition to that room, one way or the other, to make it the best that we can.”
The Dolphins also released guard James Daniels and receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on Monday.