Dolphins' Tyreek Hill appreciates Mike McDaniel more after 'he called me out' in loss to Chiefs

Tyreek Hill doesn’t regret his move to Miami, especially because his coach holds him accountable.

It’s not often the elite Dolphins receiver needs to be called out, but when it’s required, Hill is happy to play for a head coach who isn’t afraid to do so.

“The play against (L’Jarius) Sneed. The Chiefs, everybody see the play against the Chiefs when m———– slammed me to the floor,” Hill recalled of Miami’s Week 9 loss to Kansas City during an appearance on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast. “He called me out. He’s like, ‘Reek, you’re supposed to be the f—— best player in the f—— league and you got this guy putting hands all over you like that. We pay you all this money for what?’

“And for me, I love s— like that. ‘Cause I’m gonna take that s— to heart and I’m gonna get better from it. That will never happen to me again in my life, man. If a m———– not holding me accountable, I feel like I’m not going to be able to get better.

“Obviously the coaches can bypass that and just be like, ‘Ah, he’ll get better from it.’ But if he’s not saying nothing, the other guys in locker room are gonna look at it as, ‘Oh if ‘Reek can do it, I can do it.’ And that’s not getting the team better. I need everybody to get better. Baby brother (Jaylen) Waddle, I got him up under my wing trying to teach him. I want everybody to get paid. Everybody deserve it.”

Hill knows this is what the Dolphins need to get to the next level, a place he’s watched his former teammates dominate for the last two seasons. He’d be part of that operation, too, had he and the Chiefs worked out a deal that made sense for both sides.

Instead, Kansas City sent him to Miami, where Hill received a lucrative contract extension and became a centerpiece of the Dolphins’ plans. So far, all that’s gotten him is two playoff appearances — and two first-round exits.

This year might have stung the most. Hill’s Dolphins reached the playoffs as a wild-card qualifier, forcing them to travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs in frigid temperatures. For a warm-weather team like the Dolphins, the conditions proved fatal: Miami converted just 1 of 12 third downs and finished with fewer than 275 yards of total offense in a 26-7 loss to Kansas City, ending their season in disappointment.

For a second straight year, Hill was forced to watch the Chiefs sprint to a Super Bowl triumph. But unlike the first time around, Hill forced himself to watch his old pals enjoy football’s greatest triumph, even if it forced him to reckon with his own decision to leave Kansas City for Miami.

“Yeah, part of me,” Hill said when asked if he wondered how his legacy might look had he remained with the Chiefs. “The first year that they went, me and my wife went, we took a trip to Tokyo because it was kind of hard for me. I don’t want to look at no game. I don’t want to look at none of it. She’s like, ‘Babe, let’s just go to Tokyo. Let’s get away from it and let’s do our thing.’ So we went to Tokyo for the first year. And when they won, I reached out to all the guys. I was like, man, I’m happy for y’all. Proud of y’all.

“The second year, this year when they won, I watched the whole game. I was like, ‘y’all, we got to win this thing.’ I’m cool now. But the first year it was kind of hard trying to get over that hump of seeing the guys do their thing out there.”

Consider it an informative experience. If anything, Hill already arrived in Miami with Super Bowl-winning experience, having taken home the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIV. It’s been a while since he’s won one, though, and although he’s since proven himself as an elite talent who can make a significant impact regardless of system and supporting cast, he knows the rings matter most when his career is finished.

That’s why Hill has one goal — well, two goals — on his mind entering 2024.

“2,000 (yards) and also win a Super Bowl,” Hill said.

He has the blueprint. It will be up to Hill, McDaniel and the rest of Miami’s explosive attack to get the job done — and they’ll likely have to go through the Chiefs to do it.