‘I’m Crying Real Tears’ — Tyreek Hill Gets Emotional After Miami Dolphins 5-Time Pro Bowler Retires

The Miami Dolphins and Tyreek Hill were hit with bittersweet news over the weekend, as longtime offensive tackle Terron Armstead announced his retirement after 12 NFL seasons, including three in South Beach.

Armstead was a cornerstone of the Dolphins’ offensive line and one of its most reliable players. Even before arriving in Miami, he had already built a standout résumé with the New Orleans Saints, earning three Pro Bowl selections, making multiple playoff runs, and receiving an All-Pro nod.

He thrived under Mike McDaniel in Miami, earning two more Pro Bowl honors in 2022 and 2023. But health was a concern in the later stages of his career — Armstead started just 38 of a possible 51 regular-season games with the Dolphins.

Hill shared a heartfelt message for the veteran left tackle, whose retirement announcement was still fresh.

Tyreek Hill Shares Heartfelt Message for Terron Armstead After Retirement

Hill is one of the few Dolphins players whose career résumé rivals Armstead’s, and the star wideout showed love to one of his all-time favorite teammates.

Congrats to my boy T stead man I’m crying real tears

— Ty Hill (@cheetah) April 6, 2025

Hill has been one of the NFL’s top receivers for nearly a decade, with close to 800 receptions and over 11,000 receiving yards across nine seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and Dolphins.

The 2024 season marked the first time in Hill’s career that he missed the playoffs. Having played with many great teams and players, Hill’s praise for Armstead carried weight.

The Saints initially selected Armstead in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He went on to spend nine seasons in New Orleans, collecting accolades and making deep playoff runs.

He was named a team captain in 2018 — a role he had held for all three years in Miami. Throughout his career, he was known as a respected locker room leader who earned the trust and admiration of his quarterbacks.

One of them, Saints legend Drew Brees, was among those who attended Armstead’s retirement party. The Super Bowl champion grabbed the mic and praised his longtime teammate: “Twelve amazing years in the NFL. The mainstay wherever he went.”

Last year, Miami’s offensive line ranked 27th in PFN’s OL+ metric. Losing a proven veteran like Armstead is a tough blow for a unit that’s already had its struggles.

The Dolphins had been preparing as if he wouldn’t return, but now it’s official. Heading into the NFL Draft, protecting injury-prone quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has to be a top priority.

Patrick Paul, a second-round pick in 2024, is expected to take over in the starting lineup. But replacing someone who made two Pro Bowl appearances in just three years — and who was that respected in the locker room — won’t be easy.

Armstead Reveals the ‘Permanent Damage’ That Prompted Retirement

Armstead recently revealed the full weight behind his decision — and the physical toll of pushing through one final season when his body was telling him otherwise.

During the retirement party attended by his former Dolphins and Saints teammates — including Hill, Brees, Tagovailoa, McDaniel, and Saints star Cam Jordan — Armstead shared a painful secret about the 2024 season.

Prior to the 2024 NFL season, the offensive lineman received a serious warning from doctors but opted to play anyway.

“The doctor told me, like, ‘Terron, to be honest with you, you need to replace this knee. You need a knee replacement. There’s no injection, there’s no surgery [as another option],’” Armstead said.

“I left that day, on a Monday, I went home and I just sat with that — like there’s one thing I didn’t want to leave the game with. It’s permanent damage.”

Despite the risk, Armstead still chose to suit up for 15 games last season, determined to finish his career on his terms. It was a fitting close to a journey defined by toughness, professionalism, and elite athleticism.

Albert Breer Believes Miami Dolphins Should Trade Tyreek Hill

The Dolphins may have made the playoffs in 2024 had their quarterback not gotten injured. But after losing in the Wild Card round in 2022 and 2023, the team was never considered among the favorites for the Super Bowl.

McDaniel’s “speed kills” approach to offense has made Miami an unstoppable force at times, but it has failed him in the postseason. And with the clock ticking for several of the team’s stars, Breer thinks the team should consider cashing in on Hill.

“Hill (30), Jalen Ramsey (29) and Bradley Chubb (28)—will be 29 or older at the start of camp and have missed significant time over the past two years. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa is now off his rookie contract, and there is some cap debt to manage from the aggressive building over the next few years.

“Also, it’s hard to imagine either Ramsey or Chubb, when the time comes, will bring a big return to help reset the team’s roster. I believe Hill still can.”

Are the Dolphins Facing a Rebuild?

Breer’s stance was prompted by veteran lineman Terron Armstead’s decision to retire from football. Armstead was a key piece of the Dolphins’ offense and leaves the team with another hole to fill moving forward.

Breer writes that Miami has a decision to make, arguing that if it can’t win a championship in the short term, it needs to move on from Hill.

“Now, it would be painful, to be sure, to lose a guy who’s meant so much to how Mike McDaniel has built his program over the past three years. But at this point, with Armstead gone and significant questions on the roster (fingers crossed for Miami on second-year man Patrick Paul at left tackle), the hard question they have to ask themselves is whether they can win a championship with the current group.

“If the answer is no (and I’m not saying it is), then it makes sense for the Armstead decision to set off a plan for McDaniel and GM Chris Grier to rebuild around Tagovailoa on the fly. Getting a haul of picks for Hill would be a sensible place to start.”