It can take a retired footballer a couple of years to be canonized in the NFL Hall of Fame after they call time on their playing days – or decades for that recognition to come along.
For a wide receiver as prolific as Tyreek Hill, Hall of Fame membership will likely come sooner rather than later – and with the Miami Dolphins man planning to retire, prematurely, in 2025 at the age of 31, organizers had better get their house in order!
Unfinished Business
There’s nothing left for Hill to achieve in football, which perhaps explains his decision to walk away from the sport in the near future.
But you suspect he would want to finish on the high of a Super Bowl appearance with the Dolphins, and their excellent 9-3 start to the AFC Conference campaign in 2023-24 suggests there’s a chance that could happen at the next available opportunity – the online sports betting odds have Miami as a +800 chance for LVIII behind the likes of the 49ers (+300), Chiefs (+600), Eagles (+600) and the Ravens (+700).
Tua Tagovailoa continues to grow in confidence and surety as an elite quarterback, and when you have the safe hands and fleet of foot of Hill to aim at – remember, he once posted a sub-ten-second time for the 100m sprint – what could possibly go wrong?
The 29-year-old could, potentially, pass the 2,000-yard mark this season – the first time that would have happened in NFL history. First up is Calvin Johnson’s 1,964-yard record. If you needed any further convincing that this modern legend should be immediately added to the Hall of Fame when he hangs up his helmet, that’s it.
Best of the Best
At his current output, Hill would smash into the top ten of all-time when it comes to career receiving yards – not bad for a guy who will quit football with at least two more seasons in the locker.
Who knows, maybe the man known as ‘Cheetah’ will be quick to sign a new contract with the Dolphins in 2025 when he realises that he could possibly usurp Terrell Owens as the third most-prolific wide receiver in the annals of NFL history.
Catching Larry Fitzgerald seems unlikely, while Hill – and anybody else for that matter – will find it difficult to match the exploits of Jerry Rice, who remains the NFL’s undisputed king of offense.
The three-time champion delivered a staggering 22,895 yards in a career lasting the best part of two decades, contributing 208 touchdowns for good measure for the likes of the 49ers, the Raiders and the Seahawks.
It’s an astonishing career, not just statistically but also in the longevity of playing such a physically demanding role for nearly 20 years. Is Rice in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Of course he is, and one day he will surely be joined by Hill in such vaunted circles.
Cheetah has already spoken of his desire to enter the business world, with an unknown gaming project set to be his first venture. Who knows: maybe he will one day become a giant of an entrepreneur.
In the meantime, cementing his status as one of the finest wide receivers in modern history is the only item on his to-do list.
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