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As Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa had advice for Tyreek Hill about fortifying relationships with his teammates on the team after his comments made at the end of the season last year, it had the football world buzzing. With the Dolphins quarterback in Tagovailoa complimenting Hill on the progress he has made, the latest report gives insight into how the team itself felt about the statement.
While some could see Tagovailoa's comments as being too honest or perfectly fine, there's no denying that Miami “liked” how the quarterback approached the situation, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.
“People I spoke to when I was there cited the news conference comments Tagovailoa made a couple of weeks ago about star wide receiver Tyreek Hill and the need for Hill to repair relationships in the building as a result of things that were said or tweeted early in the offseason,” Graziano wrote. “The coaching staff liked that Tagovailoa did that. They saw it as a sign that the two were working to address the real underlying issues of the situation, rather than gloss over it with platitudes or social media sniping.”
Tagovailoa and Hill have been building a relationship since the latter was traded in 2022, and while there have been some bumps in the road as a whole, a source told Graziano that “they're not hiding from anything.”
“They're giving themselves a real shot at having a relationship and winning,” a Dolphins source said to Graziano.
Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa shares what he's noticed from Tyreek Hill
With the Dolphins amid training camp in preparation for the 2025 season, the rapport between Tagovailoa and Hill will no doubt be a focal point this year. After back-to-back seasons of over 1,700 yards for Hill, he would slump in 2024, being unable to eclipse 1,000 yards, which led to some frustration at the end, though Tagovailoa has noticed “more vulnerability” this time around from the star receiver.
“I think there’s a lot more vulnerability with Tyreek,” Tagovailoa said, via NBC Sports. “He’s conversating a lot more with the guys, not just about football, but about things off the field, being vulnerable about some of the things people know about his personal life and things of that nature.”
“I think that’s the first step toward him building true relationships and a real connection with a lot of the guys in there,” Tagovailoa continued. “Everyone knows what he can do on the field, everyone respects what he can do on the field, but I think he’s still trying to figure things out for himself as well, the man he wants to be — and he’s not too young. Everybody makes mistakes, it’s just, some people, they’re in the spotlight and their deals get pushed out more than some others. So you’ve just got to cut him some grace. That’s our teammate.”
Miami opens the season on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the Indianapolis Colts.
