MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill wants to give something he says he hasn't done in his 10-year NFL career -- the best version of himself.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the Dolphins veterans reported for training camp Tuesday, Hill said the events of last season altered his perspective entering 2025. Hill turned in one of the worst seasons of his career as Miami stumbled to an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
A frustrated Hill voiced his displeasure in a now-viral interview after Miami's regular-season finale in January, but now he says he has since taken responsibility for his own outcome.
"This whole offseason, I've been busting my tail," Hill said. "I told my dad -- I want to see what it looks like when I just focus on football, on myself and family ... I feel like I haven't been giving the best version of Tyreek my whole entire career.
"I've always been trying to be here and be there, but me being able to slow down a little bit, train and bust my tail for myself and then also for this community and this team, I feel like it'll be worth it."
Hill has spent the past two offseasons trading social media barbs with Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles, in an effort to set up a footrace between the two. The race ultimately fell through as Lyles pulled out for personal reasons, but it didn't stop Hill from competing in a 100-meter race at the Last Chance Sprint Series in California last month.
He has also appeared in content creators' live streams this offseason, in addition to hosting his own.
When asked what focusing on football looks like for a player with famously diverse extracurricular interests, Hill said it starts with being present.
"Just being present every day, on time, doing things extra, like catching footballs after practice conditioning," he said. "Whenever I'm tired, being that vocal leader in the locker room for guys, just being the dude Miami paid me to be and what I know I can be ... I got here through hard work and sometimes, when you get to a certain spot in your life where you want to be, you're kind of like, 'OK, it's cool now.'
"Like I said, me being able to slow down my life a lot, enjoy my kids a little bit in this offseason, I realized that I've got to continue to grind, man."
After missing the playoffs for the first time in his career last season, Hill gave a postgame interview in which he loosely suggested he wanted a trade from the Dolphins; general manager Chris Grier said he never requested a trade, and Hill walked his comments back and apologized in February.
During spring practices, Hill admitted that he would have to earn back his captaincy and prove he deserves it after removing himself from Miami's regular-season finale once it became clear the team would not make the playoffs.
He said he's seen the clip frequently this offseason and that he needed to be "better as a leader" in those moments.
"We have a real nice chance to be special here this year. I think guys have matured a lot," he said. "I've matured a lot. Coach has even matured a lot, so that's awesome, man. We are all growing together, having a great laugh in the locker room, so we're just going to continue to build."