All offseason, trade rumors around Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill have been invited and dismissed in back-and-forth fashion. Now that June 1 has passed, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has laid out how a trade is more palatable for Miami:
"For now, Hill has $28.296 million in unallocated bonus money that will hit the cap. A pre-June 1 trade means all of it lands in 2025. A post-June 1 trade limits the 2025 dead money to $12.728 million, with the remaining $15.568 million landing on the cap in 2026."
But it ultimately, as Florio noted, boils down to a team being willing to take on what Hill is owed in 2025:
"It all comes down to whether a team is waiting for the calendar to migrate past May before making the call. And, more broadly, to whether another team is interested in taking on Hill’s contract, which pays out $25.85 million fully guaranteed in 2025."
A wrist injury was a big factor, but Hill is coming off a down year in 2024 (81 receptions for 959 yards and six touchdowns). At 31 years old, he may be starting to straddle the "is the talent worth the trouble?" line. The Dolphins may be compelled to move on sooner rather than later if they can.
Florio then moved toward mention of some teams who could be interested in Hill:
"The contenders that should at least ponder whether Hill can help get them over the top include the Ravens, Texans, Chargers, and 49ers. (The Bills should think about it, too. However, the Dolphins may not be interested in helping Buffalo get back to a Super Bowl)."
The Niners seem to bear mention largely due to "hey, he'd know the offense", since the system run Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is at its core the same system Kyle Shanahan runs. General manager John Lynch hasn't shut the door on adding a wide receiver, but a significant move to add someone is incredibly unlikely.
Idea of 49ers trading for Tyreek Hill would excite absolutely no one
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report took Florio's mention of the 49ers as a landing spot for Hill to a different tentacle, on a list of NFL trades that would most excite fantasy football managers:
"As it happens, there isn’t another team in the NFC with more cap space than the $50 million and change the 49ers possess. There also isn’t a team in the conference with a more pressing need for a high-end wide receiver. Brandon Aiyuk’s status for the beginning of the 2025 season remains very much in question. Ricky Pearsall is out until at least training camp with a hamstring injury. That leaves Jauan Jennings and…not much."
"Brock Purdy may not be the first quarterback that pops to mind when you think “deep passer,” but only Lamar Jackson had more passes that traveled 40-plus yards in 2024 than Purdy per Fantasy Pros."
"And last year’s disappointing numbers aside, Hill is still one of the most dangerous deep threats in the NFL."
The 49ers have ample cap space to take on Hill's 2025 money. But trading for him would go against the entire grain of this offseason. Beyond that, last year may have been the start of Hill's decline phase. He has to prove it wasn't, and if he's unhappy with his involvement in the offense he will undoubtedly create a headache.
The mere mention of the Niners as a possible landing spot for Hill does not (and should not) excite fans. Fantasy managers are even less excited about Hill in general, regardless of who he plays for this season.