Adrian Werner
Tyreek Hill is a star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins.
Among all the records that exist in the NFL, 2,000 receiving yards in a single season stands out among the crowd. It has never been done before in the regular season, the closest being Calvin Johnson in 2012 when the Detroit Lions wideout reached 1,964, just 36 yards shy of the mark. One interesting caveat in Tyreek Hill’s favor is the 18 week (17 game) season added in 2021. Assuming Hill plays every game, he would need to average just 118 yards per game to pass 2000.
"I will break 2,000 yards next year," Hill said on his "It Needed To Be Said" podcast, a part of the Vocal Podcast Network, in July. "2,000 yards was on my bucket list to get before I leave this league, 2,000 yards and another Super Bowl, and we getting that. Believe that."
Speaking from training camp, Hill doubled down on his unprecedented goal and explained how he'll reach it. "The quarterback play that we have is amazing, as you can see Tua [Tagovailoa] has been delivering…all training camp, and the way that our head coach and our OC [Offensive Coordinator] design plays for us is ridiculous," Hill said on NFL Network. "My job is really easy; I just got to stay healthy, I just got to keep my attention to detail and just know where to be at on the field at all times for my quarterback. Then I'll be able to make those plays to get where I want to be at, which is 2K [yards]."
Hill has been volatile throughout his eight-year NFL career, with some off-field issues and a very up-and-down stat line. Despite this, Hill has always stayed healthy, not missing a game since the 2020 season. He is known for using his speed on big plays and deep down-field shots but also has a very low floor against better defenses. This was already revealed this season when, after catching for 215 yards in a shootout victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, Hill struggled for only 40 yards against a better New England Patriots secondary. This put him behind pace after just one game, but he redeemed himself in week 3 with 157 yards, setting the tone early with a 54-yard touchdown reception on the game's third play.
Last season, Hill averaged 108.3 yards when his starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, was healthy. Unfortunately, Tua suffered multiple concussions, causing him to miss five games throughout the year. Hill struggled to rack up yards while Tua was out, hitting 55 once in five games. Had Tagovailoa been healthy all year and Hill kept his average steady, he would have been good enough for a league leading 1,841 yards.
Last year's leader, though, was Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson. Jefferson’s numbers have been increasing rapidly since entering the league. He is the clear number one receiver on his team, which benefits him in terms of targets but also forces teams to double him as the main threat. Jefferson currently leads Hill in both targets and yards by a small margin, though both are on pace for over 2,400 yards.
It will be interesting to see these two receivers go head to head down the stretch, and if one or both can stay healthy, we may be in for a record-breaking season.