Seven months ago, when the Dolphins released Tyreek Hill, the wide receiver had a simple message. “The Cheetah will be back.” Even though he was a free agent for the first time in his career and was nursing a dislocated knee and torn ACL that had forced him out for a big chunk of the season, he knew he was going to return.

And even though he’s embroiled in a legal struggle, the wide receiver believes that the next chapter of his life is going to be in the NFL.  And that’s what he has publicly stated.

“I just find ways to try to come back and, you know, overcome being complacent with where I am in life and always knowing that there’s more. You know, like I said, my grandparents created that dog in me early. You know, God can place it in my heart that I still have more football left… I’ll be ready in November,” Hill said in another comeback video.

Hill is actively recovering from an ACL injury and a dislocated knee he suffered on September 29, 2025, against the New York Jets. And the journey hasn’t been easy. Up until a few months ago, things didn’t look so positive.

“So it’s about 10 months after doing two surgeries,” Hill said on YouTube. “My left leg is the one that I injured. I have no power in my left leg, so I’m trying to regain all the power back in my left leg. But it’s one day at a time.”

More importantly, his only hurdle isn’t the rehabilitation period, but his ongoing civil lawsuit against his wife, Keeta Vaccaro.

Vaccaro accused Hill of domestic abuse; an incident allegedly occurred in April 2025 in their Sunny Isles condominium. The two also testified in front of the court in Miami, and the trial is currently underway.

Following the ongoing lawsuit, the NFL stated its stance on Hill’s return to the league: even if the Miami jury clears him, the NFL will conduct its own investigation, and Hill will still have to pass the league’s judgment. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted Hill could face a major suspension. 

While the league will conduct its own investigation, the lawsuit itself has grown complicated. During the alleged physical altercation between Hill and Vaccaro in their residence, a hole was created in a wall, which was the main evidence of contact in the assault under consideration.

While Hill first admitted that he did push her against the wall, saying to Vaccaro to never touch him again after trying to “force her to get off,” which ultimately “created a hole in the wall,” he later changed his explanation on Friday.

“The door, the main door,” Hill told his attorney. “I was trying to evade [Vaccaro], but I’m not trying to harm her or push her against the wall or, like, do anything crazy.”

Hill denied that the hole was the result of him pushing her, and instead explained that the damage occurred because the door struck the wall. Though Hill declined any physical contact with her on day two of the trial, he did address the verbal language he used against her.

“The language, I’m gonna take that all on this end; I’m not proud of that,” Hill testified. “I am ashamed. I don’t even go back home because my marriage failed.”

Hill also acknowledged that he had emotionally hurt Vaccaro during one of their verbal spats that was also recorded on a nanny camera.

The lawsuit remains unsettled, and the NFL investigation looms. Yet Hill continues hinting at his return.

Earlier in late September, he posted a tweet saying, “I think I’m ready for some cold weather.”

Many fans and reports speculated that this was a hint that he was either heading to the Buffalo Bills or coming back to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since then, the idea of the Chiefs has been highlighted more, with superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce wanting him back on the team.

“I have no idea (if that would happen), but it’d be pretty cool,” Mahomes said.

Kelce also wished for Hill’s return, saying, “That’s out of my hands, but I know I’d love to have ‘The Cheetah’ back in this building.”

Of course, with his rehabilitation and the civil case, things are going to take some time, but his return timeline of November is looking realistic as the month approaches. But will the NFL let Hill play after he clears those two obstacles, or will this end up as a failed comeback story?