The Message Tyreek Hill Sent to the Rest of the League Regarding His Retirement Plans
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Miami, Florida (PSF) - Miami Dolphins superstar receiver Tyreek Hill has come out with an announcement that comes as a surprise to many, and no, the announcement does not involve how fast Hill is.
Instead, during an interview with Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City this week, Hill was asked how much longer he plans on playing and he gave a very astonishing answer to say the least.
In response to his future in football, Hill said:
“I’m going for 10 man. Imma finish out this contract with the Dolphins man and then imma call it quits. I want to go into the business side. I want to do so many things in my life, bro.”
Specifically with the business side of things, Hill said:
“So I really want to get into like the gaming space. I really want to get huge in that and that's kind of what I'm doing right now," Hill said. "I'm using my platform, creating a gaming team, which isn't launched yet. It should launch by the end of this month. I'm gonna just sign like different content creators, different athletes. I just been working that, talking to different sponsors."
Hill already has a Twitch account where he routinely livestreams during off days during the season, as well as more frequently now during the offseason so that transition will be seamless for him in the future.
While Hill’s future plans and endeavors may come as a surprise to most, here is what those same people also have to realize: The NFL is a business, and Hill is making a business decision for his own self.
Yes, while the saying may be cliche, it reigns supreme and holds truth when it comes to how long players decide to be in the league and then when they ultimately decide to retire.
Hill also has nothing else left to prove when it comes to his legacy and playing career. As a wide receiver, legacies and hall of fame statuses are weighted very differently when it comes to the wide receiver position than say the quarterback position.
In his seven-year career thus far, Hill already is a Super Bowl champion, seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s all-decade team of the 2010s.
In his most recent and first season with the Dolphins, Hill had career bests in targets (170), receptions (119), yards (1,710), and also scored eight total touchdowns for Miami.
Not to mention, Hill is approaching the wrong side of 30 as he just turned 29 years old last month. In comparison to other top receivers in the league, Deandre Hopkins, Davante Adams, and Odell Beckham Jr are all already 30 while Stefon Diggs like Hill is also approaching that number too also at 29 years old. Keep in mind that in retrospective, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase are only 23 years old.
Like anything in life, age catches up to you. And for Hill, his best playing days may very well be behind him as he approaches 30 which is the age where wide receiver production starts to deteriorate for most, if not all at the position. Taking his age into consideration only makes his decision look smarter over time as he would only play for three more seasons. Hill also has a cap hit of $56.3 million in his final season with the Dolphins and with a release, Miami would be able to save $45 million against the cap which makes a cut look likely down the road.
If nothing else, Hill laid out a three-step plan that every NFL player should be following in the future:
1) Play a decade in the league if your body is able to hold up in order to have a long enough playing career for generational wealth, Super Bowl championships, and a hall of fame legacy.
2) Retire before your body starts to deteriorate and you are able to avoid chronic pain and disabilities.
3) Before and or after retiring, start a new career and go into the business side of things, now more than ever it is so easy to gain a following on social media for professional athletes to propel to online and technological business opportunities such as Twitch.
At the end of the day, while Hill’s decision may be a surprise and came out of nowhere, two things can be true: The NFL is a business, and Hill is doing what is best for himself with the business decision he is making.
Hill will look to finish the rest of his three-year career out with the Dolphins strong, and hopefully add another Super Bowl ring onto his finger in the process.
