Jeremy Hill says goodbye to the Cincinnati Bengals

Jeremy Hill's last game with the Cincinnati Bengals was on Oct. 29, 2017, when he rushed four times for 11 yards against the Indianapolis Colts. 

A week later, as the team prepared to play in Jacksonville, Hill was a surprise inactive and then – to the surprise of head coach Marvin Lewis – elected to have season-ending ankle surgery.

An unrestricted free agent in 2018, the 25-year-old made a business decision. With the drafting of Joe Mixon, and the starting reins about to be handed to the rookie, and an already-reduced role, Hill decided he had to get healthy for potential new suitors come March. 

"I had some bone spurs build up in my ankle the past few years, just from rolling it, playing through it," Hill told The Enquirer. "I rolled it in practice (leading up to Jacksonville) and it just wasn't the same. Just couldn't do the things I wanted to do. At that point in the season, they decided to go forward with Joe and my people, my family and myself, we just thought it would be best for me to have surgery and make sure I'm good to go going forward, putting my career over this season.

"That was a decision that I felt was best for me going forward and that's what I did."

After the season, he held the door open – slightly – for a return. But on Wednesday, Hill tweeted "Been one hell of a ride Cincinnati on to the next chapter"

Despite being phased out of the offense after Mixon was drafted and putting up his worst season, statistically, in four years with the Bengals, Hill said it was not a difficult year to go through.

"Not at all," he said. "I think this league presents all different type of challenges. Guys have gone through a lot more than I have. I've had the best of both worlds in that way, the highest of highs and lowest of lows in this league. That's just part of it. Every player has their own journey that they go through and this is just part of mine."

Hill, a second-round pick out of LSU in 2014, ran for 1,124 yards as a rookie that year. He then led the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 11 in 2015, but he's rushed for just 3.7 yards per carry and 955 total rushing yards in 22 games from 2016-17.

He enters a crowded running back market that could be led by Pittsburgh All-Pro Le'Veon Bell, but Hill is one of the youngest free agent runners hitting free agency.

"I'm not nervous at all," he said. "I think the chips will fall where they may and I'm good with that going forward. I'm going to put the work in and when you do that you can sleep good at night knowing you did everything you could, and that's what I'm going to do."