Tyreek Hillhas been a pending free agent for less than a day, but his looming free agency this offseason is already one of the most intriguing among a solid group of free agent wide receivers.
Reports broke on Feb. 16 that theMiami Dolphinsintend to release Hill, who will turn 32 on March 1, making him a pending free agent. He will hit the market when thenew league year beginsin mid-March.
The five-time All-Pro missed most of the 2025 season after sustaining a dislocated knee and torn ACL during a Week 4 game against theNew York Jets. Any team that will consider signing Hill once free agency negotiations begin on March 9 will have to take Hill's availability – or lack thereof – into consideration.
Here's what to know about Hill's injury and where he stands in the recovery timeline for it:
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Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
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Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18)makes a catch for a touchdownagainst the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
What happened to Tyreek Hill?
Hill suffered a gruesome knee injury early in the 2025 season during a Week 4 game against the Jets.
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The then-Dolphinsreceiver caught a short pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa before getting twisted up with Jets defensive back Malachi Moore at the end of the play. ESPN cameras caught Hill grabbing at his leg after the gruesome injury, and he had to be carted off the field.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the following day that Hill had dislocated his knee and "tore multiple ligaments in his knee, including his ACL." The severity of the injury ended the wideout's 2025 season and set him on the road to recovery for 2026.
When will Tyreek Hill return?
According to Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, rehab after a dislocated knee injury and ACL tear can take as long as 9-12 months or more before returning to competition.
The orthopedic provider listed out a five-stage process in rehabbing an injury like Hill's:
Phase 1: The first six weeks consist of bracing the joint, managing pain and "isometric muscle activation" in the quads and hamstrings to help stabilize the knee
Phase 2: The following six weeks is when Hill would have been progressing from limited motion to a more full range of motion while starting to strengthen his leg further. Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush lists squatting and leg press as examples of leg exercises that might be included in this portion of rehab.
Phase 3: The longest phase so far, lasting about three months, includes "more aggressive strengthening" and some "light agility" work, including cutting. Since Hill is five months removed from his injury in late September, this is likely the phase he is currently progressing through now.
Phase 4: The penultimate phase is three or more months of pushing Hill within reach of a return to action. This phase consists of "sport-specific training, acceleration/deceleration drills" with a "gradual return to full contact, cutting, and pivoting" while monitoring for discomfort, swelling or lasting instability in the knee.
Phase 5: This phase is essentially the full return to competition, with the first three months of that return including further "maintenance, load management and monitoring."
Hill is most likely still in phase three at this point in his rehab process, about five and a half months removed from the injury and surgery. If that's the case, he is still about a month or so away from returning to football activity. Phase four consists of the sport-specific drills that teams would likely hope to see before considering signing Hill.
A return by the start of the 2026 season is possible, though it may take longer depending on Hill's progression through injury rehab. Due to some of the uncertainty the injury caused, it may take a while for a team to decide to sign Hill in free agency – and likely at a discounted rate from what his contract value would have been worth a couple of years ago.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tyreek Hill is a free agent, but when will he return? Injury update
