On Sunday, Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill made it clear that he wants another fresh start. On Monday, Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold, one of the team’s offensive captains, downplayed the remarks.

“I think Tyreek is an emotional guy and he’s a competitor like a lot of us are,” Ingold told reporters, per the transcript from the team. “You get to know a guy like that over a few seasons. I’m upset that things had to be shared the way they were, but at the end of the day, I have a lot of respect for him, obviously sharing a lot of time in the lockers with him. The practice field, the game field, just seeing his light and his energy; he’s a really great teammate that I’ve had the fortune to play against and then play with as well.

“I think a lot of guys were emotional after the game so I’m going to take that with a grain of salt. Obviously we’re going to continue to have conversations, but he’s a great competitor, great teammate, and yeah, we’ll see what the offseason brings.”

Two other Dolphins whose comments were circulated by the team were asked about Hill’s remarks.

“I saw them,” defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. “I think everyone has their own voice and if that’s what he wants to say, that’s what he wants to say. I have all the respect for him as a player. If that’s how he feels, that’s how he feels. So we’ll leave it at that.”

Seiler also was asked about Hill apparently taking himself out of Sunday’s game once it was clear that the Broncos would win and Miami would be eliminated from the postseason.

“Obviously, it’s a knee-jerk reaction,” Sieler said. “That stuff happens and I don’t know what happened. I’m not going to speak for him or speak on that. That’s his own decision, but I know as a team that we need to stay focused this year on making sure everyone’s here and making sure we’re on time and we’re focused on winning it all next year and making the corrections from this season going into OTAs and camp this year.”

Tight end Jonnu Smith also was asked about Hill’s comments.

“I’m not going to speak for Tyreek, respectfully,” Smith said. “Tyreek spoke for himself. I can only speak for myself. We’re all men. We all feel differently about certain things. We handle situations differently and rightfully so he handled the situation how he felt he should’ve handled it. . . .

“The whole season, just kind of how things shaped out for us was emotional. It was a roller coaster. Again, everybody handles emotions differently. To each his own. You can sit here and say ‘I would’ve handled it this way,’ or ‘I would’ve done it that way.’ We’re all different individuals. In some way, shape or form that’s what makes us unique. So however you feel about it, however whoever feels that way about it, to each his own. We definitely have the right guys in this locker room. We’ve got a lot of the right guys. We had a lot of great leaders in this locker room. I’ve been around, I’ve been on a championship team. We didn’t win the championship, but we won. Even just getting there, I’ve seen the kind of camaraderie we had as a team and we’re getting there. We’re getting there.”

Hill continues to be one of the best players on the team, if not the best. And he said what he said. Until he says otherwise, he wants out.

And, until coach Mike McDaniel says otherwise, Hill also declined to play. That has happened recently with former Ravens receive Diontae Johnson and soon-to-be-former 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. Given Hilll’s skillset, it makes sense for the players to not vilify Hill — especially if the situation can be resolved in a way that keeps him around for 2025.