Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury that required surgery.
Retired offensive tackle Terron Armstead describes the physical toll of football as ‘trauma,’ citing his own extensive injury history.
Despite the severity of the injury, Hill’s agent is optimistic he will return for the start of next season.
Terron Armstead was among the millions who watched Tyreek Hill suffer a gruesome knee injury in real time on “Monday Night Football” and there was no filter.
His heart sank.
“Just devastating, man, the human part of it,” Armstead told USA TODAY Sports. “Outside of him being a great player, he’s a friend of mine, someone I see as a brother. Just to see him in pain was tough.”
Hill, the Miami Dolphins star receiver known as “The Cheetah” because of his uncanny quickness and speed, underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a dislocated left knee, torn ACL and other ligament damage sustained on a tackle that left his limp leg bent awkwardly.
This is not about your fantasy team, prop bet or office pool.
“Before they even went to the replay, I saw the leg, the way it was turned, and I knew it was something serious,” added Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowl left tackle who retired earlier this year after 12 NFL seasons. “It was heartbreaking to see.”
Armstead immediately sent Hill a text that in part read: “I’m praying for you, brother.”
Soon after, the former teammates were chatting on FaceTime – another indication of how Hill, 31, who seemingly celebrated as he was carted off the field at Hard Rock Stadium, processed the immediate aftermath of his injury.
“I’ve got chills right now, just picturing it again,” Armstead reflected of Hill’s ride on the cart. “I’ve never seen that before. Usually, you see a guy with a towel over his head, devastated, and through the pain, too. For him to be smiling, laughing, clapping, he’s different, man. That’s why I don’t worry about him. Mentally, he’s different.”
Armstead’s perspective of this situation is so rich. Sure, he’s tight with Hill. They didn’t know each other before they arrived in Miami on the same day in 2022 to continue their respective NFL journeys but became fast friends and confidantes.
Yet Armstead, 34, also has a view that is so much more credible than most when it comes to the physical toll of football – and the human element attached to it – given the extensive injury history he compiled from a dozen years in NFL trenches.
He can certainly tell us, at least to some degree, what Hill is experiencing.
“It’s trauma,” Armstead said. “Just traumatic experiences. We’re not asking anybody to feel sorry for us. It’s the profession and the sport that we choose to play. We understand the risk that comes with it. That still doesn’t make it any easier or much better.
“Your body is dealing with trauma. The first time your skin is cut from surgery, your body is altered, dramatically changed for the rest of your life. It’s never the same again.”
Of course, not all injuries are created equally. Yet listen to Armstead recount his physical adversity – he played the first nine seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints – and it illuminates the sacrifice. Armstead started 15 games for the Dolphins last season – and typically never practiced. His right knee hasn’t been the same since his third season, and along the way there were major shoulder, pectoral and ankle injuries, too.
Typically, after playing on a Sunday with the support of pain medication, Armstead said he wouldn’t even be able to walk without crutches until the middle of the week because of the knee. And that was just one of the signs of a body in distress.
“Just spitting up blood. Peeing blood,” he said. “Going through all these things on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then to go play on Sunday. Cannot let the actual process be seen to get to the final product; that’s part of the job. We try to remove that human element as much as we possibly can, too, as players, because the outside world doesn’t really care. It’s more about what they see on camera for those three hours. The personal side of it is challenging, man. It’s really, really tough to deal with, but that’s really part of the profession.”
A profession that essentially comes with a warning label: Any given play could be your last play.
As Armstead alluded to, players realize the potential costs – broken bones, torn ligaments, concussions, to name a few – and risks attached to a physical, violent sport where injuries are inherent.
A father of three, Armstead acknowledges that part of his motivation for a lengthy career came with securing financial stability for his family. And it worked out. According to Spotrac.com, he earned nearly $116 million over the course of his career. Yet it’s also worth noting that with the lifespan of the average NFL career around three years, generational wealth is hardly guaranteed for all.
So, that needs to be part of the context when assessing some proven player embroiled in a contract dispute. The NFL may be on track to generate $25 billion in revenues, but for many of the players it also represents: “Not For Long.”
Armstead, who entered the NFL as a third-round pick, considers himself as fortunate to have lasted for longer than most. He adapted to his injuries by becoming a better technician over the years. Yet he admits that he first thought of retirement during the “mental battle” that came with the knee injury sustained in his third season.
“That was when I got my first introduction, ‘This thing could be over in a minute,’’ he said. “I was able to get through that cycle with stem cell (treatment), but then I started dealing with a whole bunch of other injuries.”
A year ago, he knew he was in the midst of his last NFL season. During his three years in Miami, he estimated that he had 20 MRIs on the right knee alone, including the one that prompted a pivotal exchange with John Uribe, one of the Dolphins team physicians.
“He’s like, ‘Listen, there’s not another surgery I can do. You need a knee replacement,” Armstead said. “I’m 33 at the time. It affected me. I went home with the news, kind of sat with that for a couple days. I genuinely made the decision. ‘I know my knee is done. I’m at the end of the road, but I want to go out the best way I can. Smash people. All of that.”
That’s one reason why Hill’s injury hits home with Armstead. It’s not just another calamity added to the pile as the NFL’s Week 5 proceeds. It’s personal, and another stark reminder of the toll required.
The millions who consume the NFL’s product – you, me, your neighbor, the woman in your fantasy league – should never lose sight of the humanity that is also in play.
The best news coming out of Hill’s surgery was that there was no apparent nerve damage, blood flow issues, cartilage damage or broken bones. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, maintains that Hill will target the start of next season for his return.
Still, for a player so reliant on speed and quickness, it is fair to wonder whether Hill will regain all the traits that have made him a special player.
Armstead doesn’t doubt his friend. And he can certainly relate to the challenge ahead for Hill. That, too, reflects the human element attached to any given injury.
“’Reek is such a competitor, like the highest level of competitor,” Armstead said. “He’s going to attack his rehab. They’re going to have to slow him down.”
In the meantime, the NFL’s war of attrition will keep rolling on.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell
On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social