Tyreek Hill has every reason to support Tua Tagovailoa

Tyreek Hill has done a lot of talking this offseason, for better or worse. However, at least part of the ongoing conversation he continues to push, the one that references the positive traits of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, is the single section of Hill’s zany offseason that makes the most sense.

When the Kansas City Chiefs decided to trade Hill to the Dolphins for five future draft assets, the move didn’t just send one of the league’s elite wide receivers to South Beach. It also uncorked something in Hill that made him a very vocal player—one who was much more “out there” with his takes, opinions, and experiences in a single offseason than his entire NFL career to date.

The primary push for all of this offseason attention has been the launch of his new podcast, which is (hilariously) titled It Had To Be Said (at least it’s funny if you think none of this actually needed to be said). It makes sense that Hill would want to stir the pot and generate discussion and attention on his podcast, so that much makes sense. That doesn’t stop it from being a lot of meaningless bluster. The one part that everyone should ignore, however, is his words about Tua Tagovailoa. These are the statements that are the most understandable—whether or not they are reasonable.

No one should be surprised by anything Tyreek Hill says about his newest quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, because it’s the script he’s supposed to follow.

Hill has a lot of money these days that afford him options in almost every facet of his life, but choosing a starting quarterback is not one of them. Hill is stuck with Tagovailoa and he knows it, and it does Hill no good to do or say anything when referring to his QB other than to sing his praises as loudly as possible. Whether you believe him or not, agree or disagree—none of that matters. It’s what every star player is going to do for his quarterback unless he’s intent on bringing misery to the organization.

This offseason, the comments started when Hill said that Tagovailoa threw one of the “prettiest balls he’s ever seen.” Instantly, trolls on social media (or pot-stirrers within the media) were intent on framing this as some sort of competitive statement against Patrick Mahomes, Hill’s former quarterback with the Chiefs, and the comps and quotes have not stopped since then.

Later in June, Hill noted that Mahomes had the better arm strength between the two quarterbacks only to then add, “…but as far as accuracy-wise, I’m going with Tua all day.” Fans had a field day with this one, especially in Chiefs Kingdom, since it’s hard to picture Tua winning any facet of a QB battle with Mahomes at this point in his pro career.

The latest round of praise for Tagovailoa from Hill came on the latest episode of the aforementioned podcast:

"“It’s gonna be a lot of people taking their words back on what they said about [Tua],” Hill said. “I can’t really name point, but I’m saying reporters, analysts, Twitter trolls. All those people are gonna take their words back on what they said about [Tua], and I’m just gonna be sitting there, eating my popcorn.”"

While there’s nothing wild there in itself, it’s another hearty shot-in-the-arm for Tagovailoa as he hopes to take a major leap for the Dolphins in 2022.

Hill might be right. He also might find himself catching passes from a rookie in 2023. Either way, these sorts of statements shouldn’t surprise anyone. Any good player knows the value of backing up his teammates and Hill is going to do everything he can this offseason to ingratiate himself into this Dolphins locker room. He’s a household name and knows the platform that comes with that, and he’s going to use it to build the confidence of his quarterback.

None of this should come as a shock. While Hill has said some other things that should have turned heads, his words about Tua Tagovailoa are exactly what he’s supposed to say—whether we agree with them as valid or not.