It stands to reason that retired cornerback Asante Samuel would harbor no love for the Dolphins, a division rival of his for the first five years of his career in New England. Regardless, his free agent son, former Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., may still have the door open to returning to his hometown to play for the team.
In a recent episode of his podcast, Say What Needs To Be Said, the elder Samuel did what his podcast instructs. In response to Miami’s recent trade with Pittsburgh, Samuel was critical of the team’s leadership, calling head coach Mike McDaniel a “pushover” and accusing general manager Chris Grier of having “no backbone.” He claimed that the team cannot “stand up to the players…are terrified of their own players, and…have no control over their players.”
The rant comes a month after reports that the Dolphins were interested in adding his son to the roster. Even before Jalen Ramsey‘s departure, there were serious concerns about the team’s depth at cornerback, and after Ramsey’s departure, adding a cornerback with starting experience feels like a priority in Miami. The group is currently led by Kader Kohou, Cam Smith, Artie Burns, second-year undrafted corner Storm Duck, and rookie fifth-round pick Jason Marshall Jr.
Despite his father’s potential disapproval, Samuel doesn’t appear to hold the same animosity as his namesake. A recent comment on Samuel’s social media pleaded with him to ignore his father’s comments and join the Dolphins, and Samuel like the comment. Adding context to the interaction, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald passed on that, in his last check-in with Samuel a month ago, “there was nothing…to suggest he wouldn’t consider Miami if the Dolphins make an offer.”
Jackson adds that there has been contact between the two parties this offseason, so it doesn’t seem to be a stretch to imagine Samuel returning home to South Florida. If Miami does make an offer that Samuel accepts, one wonders if we’ll see his father sport a Dolphins jersey in support of his son.
Have the dolphins ruled him out tho?
They are trying out an aging TE with severe injuries to replace one if their best weapons. A guy who lost his love for football.
Samuel is a much better flyer. Id rather he not go to Miami.