A year ago the Miami Dolphins made one of the biggest splashes of the summer, trading for All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill. We also saw Miami hire Mike McDaniel to take over head coaching duties, where we saw the Dolphins sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card team despite being forced to turn to their backup QB for four starts.
But now as Tua Tagovailoa returns to health, as long as the Dolphins can keep their QB in the lineup, the sky is the limit heading into the 2023 NFL season. Could that even mean returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1984?
One of the best receivers in football certainly thinks so. Speaking on his It Needed To Be Said podcast, Hill revealed some of his goals for the upcoming season, and they’re pretty lofty.
“I will break 2,000 yards next year. 2,000 yards was on my bucket list to get before I leave this league. You all think Cheetah gonna leave without doing something he promised himself he was going to do as a kid? 2,000 yards and another Super Bowl. We’re getting that. Believe that.”
Tyreek Hill on his goals for 2023 NFL season
Of course, 2,000 yards is an astronomically high number for any non-QB. Hill’s career-high came with the Dolphins last season, recording 1,710 receiving yards in his first year with Miami. He started all 17 games, averaging 100 yards per game.
But that also included four starts without Tagovailoa in the lineup. Still, Hill would have to average 117.6 yards per game to emerge with a 2,000-yard season. It’s never been done before, but the NFL has only been playing a 17-game season for two years now.
The all-time NFL single-season receiving yardage record is held by Calvin Johnson, who recorded 1,964 yards with the Detroit Lions in 2012. Receivers have been trying to catch up ever since.
As far as Hill’s Super Bowl expectations, well, he’ll have to eliminate Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs first, among several other top AFC contenders. But there’s no question, if healthy, the Dolphins should be viewed as a Super Bowl threat.
Related: NFL QB Rankings: Updated with all 32 starters from Sam Howell to Patrick Mahomes