Tyreek Hill

Early life

Hill was born on March 1, 1994, and is the son of Anesha Sanchez and Derrick Shaw. A native of Douglas, Georgia, Hill attended Coffee High School, where he won both the 100 meters and 200 meters at the 2012 Georgia 5A state meet.

Hill was a USA Today All-American track and field selection as well as Track and Field News "High School Athlete of the Year" in 2012, after finishing the track season with personal bests in the 100-meter (10.19 s) and 200-meter sprints (20.14 s). Hill's time in the 200 m was the fastest by a junior athlete since Ramil Guliyev's 20.04 s in 2009, and missed Roy Martin's 1985 national high school record by only one hundredth of a second. His time in the 100 m tied Abraham Hall for second fastest by a junior in the 2012 season, behind only Adam Gemili.

College career

Garden City

At Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, Hill ran track and played football. As a sophomore in 2013, Hill ran for 659 rushing yards and five touchdowns while catching 67 passes for 532 receiving yards for the Broncbusters football team.

Oklahoma State

Coming out of Garden City Community College, Hill was a highly sought-after junior college recruit and chose to attend Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

On August 30, 2014, Hill made his debut for the Cowboys and caught a season-high six passes for 62 receiving yards in a 37–31 loss to the Florida State Seminoles. On September 25, he caught his first career touchdown against the Texas Tech Red Raiders and finished the 45–35 victory with three receptions for 50 yards, six rushing attempts for 39 yards, and three kick returns for 62 yards. In the following 37–20 win against the Iowa State Cyclones, Hill finished with a season-high 148 yards on five kick returns, one of which he returned 97 yards for his first touchdown of the season. On November 1, he gained a season-high 102 rushing yards on 18 attempts and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season in a 48–14 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats.

On December 6, he appeared in his last game with Oklahoma State and helped them win a comeback victory over their rival Oklahoma Sooners after he returned a punt for a 92-yard touchdown.

On December 11, 2014, Oklahoma State dismissed Hill from their football and track teams following his arrest and guilty plea for domestic violence. In his only season at Oklahoma State, Hill had a total of 102 rushes for 534 yards and a rushing touchdown, 31 receptions for 381 yards and a receiving touchdown, as well as 30 kick returns for 740 yards and two touchdowns, and 27 punt returns for 256 yards and a touchdown. As a running back, wide receiver and returner, he accounted for 1,911 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. He was ranked 9th nationally for the amount of punt returns made.

West Alabama

On September 1, 2015, the University of West Alabama in Livingston, Alabama, announced that Hill enrolled and would play football for the Tigers. West Alabama head coach Brett Gilliland said he initially turned down Hill after he read the police report, alleging that Hill choked and hit his girlfriend. But after getting to know Hill personally, he spoke to people at Oklahoma State, Hill's former coaches at Garden City Community College, and a high school mentor, and was swayed to accept him after reading his plea agreement, which required that Hill either attend school full-time or be employed.

On the field, Hill was utilized as widely as he had the previous season, serving as a running back (25 carries for 237 yards and one touchdown), wide receiver (27 receptions for 444 yards and a touchdown), punt returner (20 returns averaging 10.7 yards with two touchdowns), and kick returner (20 returns averaging 23.0 yards with two touchdowns). In his 11 games for the team, he never exceeded 100 yards rushing or receiving, having averaged 135 all-purpose yards until a 307-all-purpose-yard game against Delta State in Game 8. After this, his production tapered off quickly to a season-ending −3 all-purpose-yards against the North Alabama Lions.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Hill was projected to go undrafted during the 2016 NFL draft, predominantly due to his domestic violence arrest. He was not invited to the NFL Combine but was able to showcase his abilities at West Alabama's Pro Day. Scouts were impressed with his speed and his Pro Day workout. His head coach at West Alabama said that at least 20 NFL teams were interested in Hill.

Kansas City Chiefs

In the 2016 NFL draft, Hill was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round (165th overall). He was the first player from West Alabama to be drafted since 1974, when Ken Hutcherson was selected 97th overall by the Dallas Cowboys. The Chiefs were criticized by fans for the selection due to his past issues with domestic violence and the Chiefs' history with former linebacker Jovan Belcher. General manager John Dorsey had to receive consent from Chiefs' owner Clark Hunt to make the selection and says they thoroughly vetted Hill, which included speaking to the prosecutor that charged him. After drafting him, the Chiefs held a press conference and addressed the issue to the media during the first day of rookie minicamp.

On May 17, 2016, the Chiefs signed Hill to a four-year, $2.58 million contract that included $100,000 guaranteed and a signing bonus of $70,000.

Hill began the 2016 season as the Chiefs' starting punt returner, kick returner, and fourth wide receiver on the depth chart behind veterans Jeremy Maclin, Chris Conley, and Albert Wilson. In the Chiefs' season opener, he made his first NFL catch for a nine-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith as the Chiefs came back from 3–21 to defeat the San Diego Chargers 33–27 in overtime. During Week 8, Hill caught five passes for a season-high 98 yards and a touchdown during a 30–14 road victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Two weeks later, he had a season-high ten catches for 89 yards, helping the Chiefs come back from 3–17 at halftime to defeat the Carolina Panthers 20–17. In Week 12 against the Denver Broncos, Hill returned a kickoff for an 86-yard touchdown, ran for a three-yard touchdown, and caught a three-yard touchdown pass with less than five seconds left in the fourth quarter, securing the Chiefs a 30–27 overtime road victory. He was the first player with a kick return for a touchdown, rushing touchdown, and receiving touchdown in a single game since Gale Sayers did so for the Chicago Bears in 1965. During his return, he reached a speed of 22.77 miles per hour (36.64 km/h), the fastest speed any NFL player had reached that season. His performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 14 against the Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football, Hill made a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown, caught six receptions for 66 yards and scored on a 36-yard receiving touchdown, helping the Chiefs win 21–13 and move to first place in the AFC West. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance. Two weeks later against the Broncos, Hill had a season-high six carries for 95 rushing yards and scored a 70-yard rushing touchdown in the 33–10 victory. In the regular-season finale against the Chargers, he caught five passes for 46 yards, had three carries for 15 yards, and a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown in the 37–27 win. His performance earned him his second AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor.

Miami Dolphins

On March 23, 2022, the Chiefs traded Hill to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick (which Miami previously acquired from the San Francisco 49ers), a 2022 second-round pick, two fourth-round picks, and a 2023 sixth-round pick. After the trade was completed, Hill signed a four-year, $120 million extension. This includes $72.2 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.

Hill made his Dolphins debut against the Patriots in Week 1, catching eight passes for 94 yards in the 20–7 win. The next week against the Baltimore Ravens, Hill caught 11 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–38 comeback win. In Week 4, against the Bengals, he had 160 yards in the 27–15 loss. In Week 6, against the Vikings, he had 177 receiving yards in the 24–16 loss. In Week 8 against the Detroit Lions, Hill had 12 catches for 188 receiving yards in the 31–27 victory. In a Week 9 victory over the Chicago Bears, he had seven receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown. In a Week 10 loss to the 49ers, he had nine receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown. He was named to his seventh career Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors for the fourth time.

Hill finished the year with career highs in receptions and receiving yards with 119 and 1,710 respectively, and helped the Dolphins to a playoff berth before losing to the Bills in the Wild Card Round 34–31. He was ranked seventh by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.

In Week 1 against the Chargers, Hill caught 11 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns during a 36–34 win. In Week 3, Hill caught seven passes for 157 yards and one touchdown, during a 70–20 win against the Broncos. In Week 5, Hill caught eight passes for 181 yards and one touchdown during a win over the Giants, marking the thirteenth time in his career he had over 150 receiving yards in a single game. In Week 6, he had six receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown in a 42–21 victory over the Panthers. In Week 7 against the Eagles, Hill became the second player in franchise history, after Paul Warfield, to score a touchdown in six of the team's first seven games.

Having reached over 1,000 receiving yards after Week 8, Hill was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. He became the first player in the Super Bowl era to achieve the feat of 1,000 receiving yards by the eighth game of the season. In Week 11 against the Raiders, he had ten receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown in the victory. In Week 13, against the Commanders, he had five receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. In week 17 against the Ravens, he reached 10,000 career receiving yards. In the 2023 season, Hill finished with 119 receptions for a franchise-record 1,799 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns in 16 appearances and starts. He led the NFL in receiving yards and tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns. He earned Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro honors. He scored the Dolphins' lone touchdown in a Wild Card Round loss to the Chiefs. He was ranked as the best player in the NFL according to his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.

Career statistics

Career highlights

Awards and honors

Super Bowl champion (LIV)

5× First-team All-Pro (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023)

Second-team All-Pro (2018)

8× Pro Bowl (2016–2023)

NFL receiving yards leader (2023)

NFL receiving touchdowns co-leader (2023)

NFL 2010s All-Decade Team

PFWA All-Rookie Team (2016)

9× NFL Top 100 — 36th (2017), 40th (2018), 19th (2019), 22nd (2020), 15th (2021), 15th (2022), 7th (2023), 1st (2024), 47th (2025)

Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year (2014)

First-team All-Big 12 (2014)

Records

NFL records

Only player to score a receiving, rushing, kickoff return, punt return, and fumble recovery touchdown

Only player to score a touchdown of 50+ yards in 5 different ways

Chiefs franchise records

Receptions in a season: 111 (2021)

Receiving yards in a season: 1,479 (2018)

Touchdown receptions in a season: 15 (2020, tied with Dwayne Bowe)

Dolphins franchise records

Receptions in a season: 119 (2022 and 2023)

Receiving yards in a season: 1,799 (2023)

Coaching career

In 2020, Hill served as an assistant coach for the football program at Lee's Summit North High School in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Personal life

Hill was previously engaged to Crystal Espinal, to whom he proposed in September 2018. The two have three children together.

In March 2023, Hill's son with Camille Valmon was born.

In November 2023, Hill married Keeta Vaccaro, the sister of retired safety Kenny Vaccaro. In July 2024, Hill announced that he would have a baby girl with Vaccaro. This would be the couple's first child together. On April 7, 2025, police showed up to Hill's home as a response to a domestic dispute call made by Vaccaro's mother, but no charges were filed. The next day, Vaccaro filed for divorce from Hill.

On January 3, 2024, Hill's residence in Southwest Ranches, Florida caught fire. Firefighters took approximately 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze. An investigation revealed that a child inside the estate was playing with a cigarette lighter, which triggered the blaze.

Legal issues

On December 12, 2014, Hill was arrested in Stillwater, Oklahoma on complaints of assault of his 20-year-old pregnant girlfriend, Crystal Espinal. The police report stated that the two got into an argument and he threw her around "like a ragdoll", punched her in the face, sat on her and repeatedly punched her in the stomach, and choked her. Oklahoma State dismissed him from the football team after the charges.

Hill eventually pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation and was sentenced to three years of probation, an anger-management course, a year-long batterer's program, and was required to undergo a domestic-abuse evaluation, a sentence that Espinal was consulted about and said she was comfortable with. Espinal eventually gave birth to a boy.

In March 2019, Hill was investigated for alleged battery after an incident in which his 3-year-old son sustained a broken arm. The following month, his son was placed into care of child services temporarily as a result of an emergency hearing conducted by the Kansas Department of Children and Families. On April 24, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe released a statement saying that his office believed a crime had been committed but that the evidence did not allow them to determine the perpetrator, and that the Kansas Department of Children and Families would continue to investigate. The following day, an audio recording of Hill and Espinal discussing the injury to their son, as well as the subsequent investigation, was released. In the recording that surfaced, Hill and his fiancée discuss their son's broken arm; she says that their son is scared of him, to which Hill responds, "You should be afraid of me too, bitch." As a result, the criminal investigation into Hill was re-opened. On June 7, prosecutors announced the case against Hill was inactive. On June 10, reports surfaced that medical investigations showed his son's arm had been broken by accident and in a way that indicated it had happened as he braced for a fall. On July 9, the full unedited audio recording was released where Hill accuses Espinal of lying about the domestic violence accusations in 2014 and about Hill breaking their son's arm. The NFL stated that they have always had the full audio recording. On July 19, the NFL released a statement saying that Hill would not be suspended and that they had found no evidence that Hill had violated the personal conduct policy, but that the incident would be re-examined if new evidence emerged.

On June 18, 2023, the Miami-Dade Police Department announced they were investigating Hill for allegedly assaulting a male employee of the Haulover Marine Center following the two having a verbal disagreement. Later that same month, representatives for both Hill and the Haulover Marine Center employee announced a settlement had been reached. In August, the NFL announced that they would not be punishing Hill for the assault incident.