Despite shared connections and potential, the Bears must resist the allure of Tyreek Hill, given his injury history and off-field concerns.
The Chicago Bears have more connections to Tyreek Hill than you would think.
It started in 2023, when Caleb Williams was still in college at USC. Fresh off his Heisman-winning season in 2022, Williams spent time in the 2023 offseason throwing passes to Hill in South Florida. Williams has also known former head coach Mike McDaniel for quite some time.
Hill has been public about his feelings on the Bears' quarterback. He predicted that Williams would do well in the NFL in an NFSW video of him in the back of a limo, live-streamed on Kick.
"Now that. He's gonna be real good in the future, bro, for real," Hill said. "With him and D.J. Moore, gone be real good in the future."
There's now the chance for Hill and Williams to play together.
On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Miami Dolphins were releasing Hill. The move will save the franchise $22.8 million against the cap.
Since the Dolphins just released him, he doesn't have to wait until the start of free agency to sign with a new team.
Hill was just under contract for three years and $90 million with Miami, but his health was a concern. He only played in four games due to injury and finished with 265 receiving yards and one touchdown.
While the move sounds good on paper, the Bears don't need a player like Hill in their receiving corps.
Don't get me wrong, when he's healthy, he's a great player. He had consecutive seasons with over 1,700 receiving yards in his first two years with Miami. However, he hasn't been in that kind of form for a while.
Plus, there are the numerous off-the-field issues he's had dating back to his college days at Oklahoma State.
As it stands, the Bears have defined roles in the receiver room. Although he could be traded later on, Moore is still around. Rome Odunze missed time due to a foot injury this past season, but will still be one of the top receivers for Chicago in 2026.
Rookie Luther Burden carved out a role for himself, as did undrafted free agent Jahdae Walker.
The Bears have a really good thing going with the players that are in the locker room. Adding someone with a past like Hill to the mix could theoretically be a good idea, but all signs point to him messing up the energy in the locker room.
General Ryan Poles has carefully crafted the Bears' locker room over the last few years, bringing in players like Kevin Byard, Grady Jarrett, and even someone like Case Keenum, who has played a pivotal role in Williams' development.
All of those players bring so much good energy to the locker room, and adding a player like Hill could jeopardize all of that.
If I'm Chicago, I'm steering clear of a player like Hill this offseason, no matter how good it sounds on paper.