MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill says he has shifted his mentality as he enters his fourth season with the team, after a disappointing 2024 season that made headlines on and off the field.

Hill spoke to local media from the team’s practice facility Wednesday, after a limited participation in the Dolphins’ OTA practice; he underwent surgery on his right wrist shortly after the 2024 season ended and isn’t expected to resume catching passes until training camp this summer.

It was Hill’s first time speaking with local media since suggesting a trade request after Miami’s season-ending loss to the New York Jets in January. During that loss to the Jets, Hill also made himself unavailable to play in the second half — which coach Mike McDaniel said he did not condone.

After the game, Hill expressed his frustration over missing the playoffs for the first time in his career and hinted at the possibility of playing elsewhere next season. He ultimately walked his comments back and publicly apologized for them.

“It was tough, man,” Hill said. “Obviously emotions were high then, but at the end of the day, I’m just looking to move forward from that, hoping that I can prove myself and prove to my teammates that I’m still one of them ones, man, who’s chasing 2K [receiving yards], still one of those ones chasing playoff dreams and all of that great stuff.”

“I’ve got to prove of myself, I’ve got to show up different. The mindset’s got to be different. I don’t feel like I deserve it, and if I didn’t get it, I wouldn’t dwell on it. I wouldn’t sweat it, you know what I’m saying? I put myself in that position.”

Tyreek Hill, on wanting to earn captaincy in ’25

Hill has made headlines for multiple off-the-field incidents during his time with the Dolphins, and that continued in April, when police were called to his condominium for a domestic dispute with his wife, who filed for divorce in the following days.

He said he has attended church and therapy over the past month, which he says has helped him reflect on his decision-making — namely why it’s been so difficult for him to stay out of headlines that aren’t football-related.

“It’s tough. Only thing I’m going to say is, man, money is a crazy thing for a lot of people,” Hill said. “But I mean for me, we just going to let the details just handle itself, you know what I’m saying? Because at the end of the day, the truth always comes out, right? My job is just to be a great father to all of my kids and be the best player I can be and be the best leader I can be for these guys in this locker room, man. So, I’m going to stand strong on that and I’m going to stand firm on that.”

Hill has drawn praise from his coaches and teammates for his level of involvement this offseason, including from first-year wide receivers coach Robert Prince, who said Hill treated the receivers room to dinner at the start of the Dolphins’ offseason program.

The five-time All-Pro said he feels completely immersed in the culture the Dolphins are looking to establish.

“I’m doing more,” Hill said. “So just being more involved in that and then just understanding what coach is trying to do. I feel like when I first got here, I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t all the way bought in, but me having, me having a better understanding of what [McDaniel is] trying to push throughout the locker room, I feel like now I understand him better. I understand Tua [Tagovailoa] better. I understand Bev [quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Darrell Bevell]; our new receiver coach — me and him clicked immediately when he got here. Everybody’s on the same page, man.”

Hill was named a captain in his first three years with Miami but doesn’t believe he deserves it again in 2025 — at least not yet.

It’s still a title he’s aiming for, but Hill understands he needs to earn his captaincy back after his actions at the end of the 2024 season.

“I’ve got to prove of myself this OTAs, training camp,” he said. “I’ve got to prove of myself, I’ve got to show up different. The mindset’s got to be different. I don’t feel like I deserve it, and if I didn’t get it, I wouldn’t dwell on it. I wouldn’t sweat it, you know what I’m saying? I put myself in that position.”

Hill recorded 959 receiving yards last season, averaging 56.4 yards per game, his lowest totals since 2019 and 2016, respectively. He played the entire season with a wrist injury he suffered in August, which doctors told him required season-ending surgery. Hill deferred the surgery until after the season but said Wednesday that he’s grateful for the procedure after initially having been nervous about it.

He also looked noticeably slimmer and said he’s down to 183 pounds after playing at 197 pounds when he first arrived in Miami.

“I would say it’s just something that I wanted to do,” he said. “In recent years — obviously I can run with anybody, run by anybody — but I think having that endurance, having that ability to not get tired on third downs is very important. So, I wanted to slim down and actually lose body fat. I committed myself to eating right, training hard every day and just drinking more water.”