The Miami Dolphins recently released superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill, making him a free agent. It's a common reaction among Minnesota Vikings fans to consider signing any big-name player who becomes available after they are released. Sometimes it makes sense, and sometimes it doesn't, but Hill's release is definitely worth speculating about.
What makes the Hill situation unique is that in the past, he's expressed his desire to play for the Vikings.
So now, he has a chance to make his wishes come true by holding tight until Minnesota comes calling. But the question is: should they?
Should the Minnesota Vikings sign free-agent WR Tyreek Hill?
There's no doubt that Hill, when healthy, is one of the most explosive playmakers in the NFL. He's lightning quick, fast as a cheetah, and can score any time the football touches his hands.
His career stats speak for themself with 819 receptions, 11,393 receiving yards, and 83 touchdowns. He's also rushed for 819 yds, with seven rushing touchdowns.
It's exciting to picture Hill with the Vikings in Kevin O'Connell's offense with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison lining up next to him. Defenses wouldn't know which one to try to stop, and the rest would feast if any of the three saw a double team.
Hill's ability to take the top off a defense would also open up huge lanes in the running game, as teams would be forced to keep a safety back deep. It could be a very dangerous combination of talent, assuming the play at quarterback is more consistent than we saw a season ago.
While it's fun to think about what adding Hill to Minnesota's offense would look like, there are a lot of reasons to pump the brakes on such a signing if you are the team.
No. 1 has to be his health.
Hill's knee injury, suffered back in September, was pretty devastating. He not only tore his ACL, but he also dislocated his left knee and suffered damage to his PCL and MCL, and doctors had to check for nerve and vascular damage.
That's a pretty serious blow to a player who makes his living because of his speed. It's a fair question to ponder if he'll be the same player when he returns from such a gruesome injury.
The timeline of his return is the second reason to hesitate on signing Hill.
The injury was suffered late last September, and the timeline for recovery is expected to be nine to 12 months of rehab before he's cleared for action. Even if he's at the shorter end of that spectrum, that puts him resuming football activities sometime in June, and that's the best-case scenario.
It's likely that he wouldn't return to the field until either midway through training camp or at the start of the 2026 season. This would mean him missing valuable reps with his quarterback, whoever that may be in Minnesota, to build chemistry and rapport.
The other reason to let this cheetah run with another team is his off-the-field history.
The Vikings' front office and locker room have been getting fed up with Jordan Addison's off-the-field issues since he was drafted in 2023, but Hill's rap sheet makes Addison look like an angel. Hill has had multiple serious run-ins with the law before and during his NFL career, and his laundry list of issues will cause a lot of teams to do a hard pass this offseason.
More than likely, Minnesota won't be signing Hill this year, all things considered.
He's coming off a devastating knee injury, with question marks about when he'll return and the type of player he'll be after his recovery. He's also turning 32-years-old in March and has a long list of off-field issues.
There are so many reasons for the team to pass. However, maybe taking the risk on the talent is the different type of thinking the Vikings need to have in order to get to the Super Bowl. If they do, they'll also make Hill's wish of becoming a Minnesota Viking a reality.