MIAMI -- Within two hours of the team's training camp practice Saturday, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill agreed to a record-setting contract restructure that guaranteed him $106.5 million over his four-year contract -- the most ever for a wide receiver.
He didn't celebrate.
Sure, he was appreciative, and he certainly wanted the money. But beyond a dinner with his wife and grandparents, there was no prolonged celebration, just an off day Sunday before returning to the practice field Monday.
"I'm always hungry. I'm always trying to find ways to get better," Hill said. "That's the only way to be in this league. That's how guys like myself last in the league, man, trying to get better, trying to help the team win. ... I'm grateful. I won't ever take any of this for granted."
Hill isn't the only player to receive a big-money contract from the Dolphins over the past nine months, with the team committing more than $300 million to Austin Jackson , Jaylen Waddle and Tua Tagovailoa , as well, over the next four years.
The pay bump comes with a certain level of responsibility as not only the highest-paid players on the team, but as leaders. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has insisted throughout the offseason that Miami's top players have helped "dictate the terms" in the team's locker room, in ways his coaching staff can't.
The Dolphins rewarded their most influential players, and in turn, those players have continued to prove why to their teammates, while maintaining a culture of accountability where all players are held responsible for their actions -- especially ones commanding a high salary.
"This isn't Mike's team, this is our team. At the end of the day, that's what it is," Tagovailoa said. "Sort of our mantra of how we go out there and do things is if I go out there and I throw a pick, it's not [quarterbacks/pass game coordinator] Darrell Bevell that threw the pick, it's not Mike McDaniel's play call that threw the pick, that's my name on that. That's our offense's name on that.
"All around we better make sure we all know what we're doing, because if something slips up, you best know [that] on this team this year, you're getting called out."
Miami underwent a rapid rebuild over the past two years, during which it added four players via trade or free agency who are currently among the team's six highest-paid players. The Dolphins allowed five homegrown impact players -- Christian Wilkins , Raekwon Davis , Andrew Van Ginkel , Brandon Jones and Robert Hunt -- to walk in free agency this offseason.
Since Chris Grier took over as general manager in 2016, the Dolphins have re-signed 10 of their 47 eligible draft picks, although that number should rise with recent picks such as safety Jevon Holland and linebacker Jaelan Phillips .
Even with the departures of several homegrown players, there are enough recent examples to suggest the Dolphins haven't abandoned the "draft, develop, re-sign" formula of team building.
"I hope [other players] take it as 'hard work does pay off here,'" Jackson said. "I had a long journey. I had a great journey. I eventually got it back together and did everything I could to be a better Miami Dolphin and you look at the other guys, they extended as well. They have been great Miami Dolphins their whole careers here, so I definitely hope it just sends a message of hope that if you come here and do the right things, you will get rewarded by playing good football."
In Hill's case, while he wasn't drafted by the Dolphins, he has been an integral part of their offense and a two-time team captain. His contract was not expiring but as other receivers around the league surpassed his extension this offseason, Miami rewarded its star with additional guaranteed money without resetting the market in terms of total value.
The league's leading receiver in 2023, Hill said he was confident the money would eventually come. The more prevalent matter, he said, is winning and giving the Dolphins a return on their investment.
"We already had responsibility on our shoulders. We've been feeling like this," he said. "We've got too competitive of a team and too great of guys on this team to not win games, and we all know that man. At the end of the day, we all know the money is going to come. The money is going to come whenever. What we are focused on right now is winning games, because we got a great group of guys, tremendous leaders on both sides of the ball, and you see it each and every day man. It's fun to be a part of.
"I love it man, I'm absolutely loving it."
McDaniel said that although there's been a higher amount of "individual talk" than years past, players have responded by investing more into the team. Veteran Calais Campbell , who signed with the Dolphins in June, said the next step for players such as Tagovailoa and Hill is to keep working at a high level.
He has seen big-money contracts adversely impact players' work ethic in the past, but it's not something he expects to see in South Florida.
"I think guys are always going to be happy to see guys get paid. It's always going to be positive as long as guys still work," Campbell said. "You can't let the money stop you from preparing and putting the work in like you would if you didn't have the money yet. ... Now there has been a couple times over the history of the game where guys got paid and shut it down, so that's the worst of it. But that's not this guy -- none of the guys on this team, these guys are special.
"Tua got his money and nothing changed. He's the same guy, coming to work every day, not that I've been around very long but from what I've seen, he didn't change. ... Tyreek has been paid multiple times, so you know who he is, but I'm happy to see guys get paid always."
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