Besides being Miami‘s blur of speed since 2022, Tyreek Hill has the “C” on his arm every year. So when Tua Tagovailoa came out and said the 2025 Dolphins “definitely feels as if it’s a it’s more of a player team,” just when Hill was stripped of captaincy, it landed with a bit of side-eye. Because let’s be real: when a QB highlights that leadership balance is finally here, it’s a not-so-subtle hint that it wasn’t there before.

Yes, Tua Tagovailoa discussed how the team looks ahead of the season in the team’s YouTube vlog as he headed to practice. And you can’t help but see past his ‘subtle‘ words, after more of a player-led team comment. “I think that the leaders this year are more engaged in what’s best for the team this year. How can we communicate with certain individuals. The dynamic with everything is it doesn’t feel like it’s one-sided. So the offense is, you know, helping, holding the defense accountable, and vice versa with the defense holding the offense accountable. And I think that’s a little unique to years past,” he said.

Well, saying something like this isn’t out of the ordinary. Not usually, at least. It can be about coaching shuffles, roster additions, or even just a shift in mentality. But it’s the timing that adds a little backdrop to those words. After all, this is the first time in Hill’s Dolphins career when he won’t be leading his group as the captain. And flat-out saying that this year’s leaders are more engaged? You cannot help but perceive this as a little shot at Tyreek Hill. But even if many don’t think that’s the case, a little context might help.

Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill’s relationship in recent years has been as complex as they come. There’s been some tension between them, to say the least. And it all escalated after that rough loss to the Jets last year. He dropped a cryptic “I’m out” tweet and even changed his profile pic to that famous Antonio Brown Buccaneers exit meme. And Tua wasn’t a fan all the drama.

“A lot of people that follow football, that follow the Miami Dolphins, that follow Tyreek that are fans of his — everyone has seen that. So, when you say something like that, you don’t just come back from that with, ‘Hey, my bad.’ You got to work that relationship up; you’ve got to build everything back up again,” Tua Tagovailoa said after the team’s first training camp practice in July.

But we thought things had changed this year. Until now. Terron Armstead said Tagovailoa and Hill have rebuilt a “very strong” bond, shaped by “a lot of time spent together” off the field. Well, it doesn’t seem like a very strong bond right now, does it? So, what’s making Tua so hopeful about the team this year?

Inside Tyreek Hill’s snub

Yes, you know the answer. Miami named six captains for the 2025 season, with Tua being the first name, following players’ votes. Behind him, center Aaron Brewer, fullback Alex Ingold, defensive tackle Zach Sieler, and linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Bradley Chubb have also been named as 2025 captains. No mention of Hill in the list. So what exactly made the Dolphins snub Tyreek Hill this year?

It all goes back to the Jets game. A late-game exit and cryptic messages don’t exactly scream captain material. Add in whispers about locker room chemistry and trade rumors, and it makes sense why players voted the way they did. Both team insiders and league outlets framed the captain picks as a straight-up trust meter: who the locker room believes sets the tone every single day.

And Mike McDaniel might’ve sort of…rigged the captaincy votes. This time around, McDaniel trimmed the list. Six, instead of eight. That tighter circle might’ve been enough to leave Hill on the outside looking in. And depending on how you read it, that feels more intentional than accidental. Hill, the team’s 31-year-old star receiver, had been a captain the past three seasons. But this year? A notable absence! When McDaniel was asked on Monday about the team’s captains’ vote, he said, “The team I think knew the assignment a little bit more and were focused on giving the keys of captainship to those that had earned it each and every day. I think that’s what it speaks to me the most, is a football team that knows who they want to be led by.”

This time, McDaniel said the gap between the sixth vote-getter and everyone else was so wide, it made sense to draw the line right there. And that tells all you need to know about where Tyreek Hill stands in McDaniel and his entire team’s eyes.