The Kansas City Chiefs have already gotten most of the principal members of the band back together, but if they wanted to go all-in on a reunion of their league-leading offense from a few years ago, the Miami Dolphins have made that possible.
The Dolphins officially released wide receiver Tyreek Hill on Monday in a series of cost-cutting measures that sever ties with many of Chris Grier's moves (or mistakes). Others newly released from Miami include veteran offensive lineman James Daniels and pass rusher Bradley Chubb.
Hill is the greatest wide receiver to ever wear a Chiefs jersey (with apologies to Otis Taylor), a future Hall of Famer who originally entered the league as K.C.'s fifth-round choice out of South Alabama in the 2015 NFL Draft. In six seasons with the Chiefs, Hill had 479 catches for 6,630 receiving yards and 56 touchdowns.
Before the '22 season, however, the Chiefs surprised everyone with the decision to deal Hill to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks. That haul helped to rebuild a defensive foundation for a franchise that ultimately won the next two Super Bowls and made it to a third. For his part, Hill averaged 106 catches for nearly 1,500 yards in his first three years in Miami.
A Tyreek Hill homecoming with the Chiefs makes a lot of sense, if some of the concerns on all sides can be alleviated.
The 2025 season would fall part for both parties, however. The Chiefs suffered a nine-game slide from their 15-2 season in 2024 to fall to 6-11 overall and a third-place finish in the AFC West. Hill suffered a season-ending injury for a miserable Dolphins team that would pivot toward an offseason rebuild, which led to the release of the veteran receiver.
As the Chiefs are figuring out how to retool after missing their first postseason in over a decade, they're bringing in both fresh faces and some familiar ones. Travis Kelce might be returning for yet another year, as Patrick Mahomes remains entrenched as the starting quarterback. With offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy taking over for Matt Nagy, all the pieces are in place to trot out the primary components of the same thrilling offense that K.C. had five years ago.
Of course, relying on aging players is a fool's errand in today's NFL, so expectations should be measured, but reuniting with Hill makes sense for Kansas City, even at this advanced stage of his career. Hill has unfinished business in K.C., as he needs less than 700 yards to eclipse Taylor as the franchise's leading wide receiver.
As for the Chiefs, the wide receiver position is thin overall and there's room for new faces, especially experienced ones, for a youthful core that includes Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Jalen Royals. The Chiefs are scheduled to lose JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton to free agency. Nikko Remigio is not guaranteed a roster spot.
Hill is recovering from a torn ACL, and at the age of 32, it's entirely possible that he calls it a career. The Chiefs aren't exactly flush with cash either. There are hurdles in front of everyone in this matter, but where there's a will, there's a way. And it's not hard to connect the dots if Hill has something left in the tank and the Chiefs' needs remain what they are.
Nothing is going to happen until Hill can pass a physical, so plenty of other factors will make themselves known between now and then. However, the potential of a homecoming for Tyreek Hill in Kansas City will remain a talking point until the dust settles one way or the other.