For the first time since joining the Miami Dolphins in 2022, star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was not voted to be a captain by his teammates.
The Dolphins revealed their six-player leadership group for 2025 on Monday, naming quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, fullback Alec Ingold, linebacker Jordyn Brooks, center Aaron Brewer, defensive tackle Zach Sieler, and edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
Hill himself suggested this offseason that he likely would not be a captain this year due to his actions at the end of the 2024 regular season, when he removed himself from the finale and hinted after the game that he wanted to play elsewhere. The Dolphins missed the postseason for the first time in Hill’s career, and his comments left his status for 2025 uncertain. Despite that, he remains with the team for a fourth year. Hill never officially requested a trade and ultimately apologized for his comments a month later.
Head coach Mike McDaniel downplayed Hill’s omission when discussing the results of the players’ vote, saying after the captains announcement: “He was an active participator in voting for probably multiple captains that we do have. I think it’s more about the guys that we picked and less about the guys we didn’t, because there are a lot of guys exemplifying tremendous leadership qualities that aren’t a captain of this football team.”
QB Tagovailoa acknowledged that Hill was working to repair relationships inside the locker room but emphasized it would take time to rebuild trust following his postgame remarks. Meanwhile, McDaniel explained that the final selections stood out clearly during the vote: “The disparity between those six vote-getters and everyone else, it was more focused. Those guys were unilaterally voted for. They kind of stood out. There was a big gap. Naturally, I think there’s a lot of players that could do a great job being a captain, but for this team, the players vote for it. With those six standing out so much, that was an easy decision to cut it there.”
Miami finished 8–9 last season, missing the playoffs and posting its first losing record since McDaniel took over as head coach. Tagovailoa also missed six games, and Hill had his least productive season since 2019 – finishing with under 1,000 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Despite that, McDaniel said he was encouraged by the way players approached the captaincy vote this year: “Every team has its own identity. This group was much more unified, and the support for those six players was overwhelming. The clarity of the vote tells me the team understands who they want leading them, and that gives me confidence moving forward.”
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