Conflicting reports on Shaq Barrett might be the start of a fracturing partnership.
The Miami Dolphins are having another patented roller coaster season mixed with concussion issues at quarterback, a losing streak, a winning streak, and getting embarrassed in cold conditions.
The newest installment of news that makes you scratch your head is the controversy surrounding Shaq Barrett and his intent to return to the NFL after retiring during training camp.
The Dolphins declined to reinstate Barrett before the 4 pm deadline on Thanksgiving, thus keeping him in retirement for the rest of the year. This also gives the Dolphins total control over his rights for the 2025 season if he decides to play.
The decision to not activate him is up for debate whether the Dolphins were not over the fact that he retired weeks before the season in a statement to “shift my full focus to my wife and kids.” and it’s an understandable one with the loss of his two-year-old daughter a year and a half ago. It’s been, in his own words, “a daily battle. Tough battle.”
A tragedy like that puts life into perspective, and I can fully understand his decision to retire, even with how bad the timing was for the organization and fans alike.
The controversy rearing its head today is the communication within the organization around finding out that Barrett wanted to come back.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported on X that Drew Rosenhaus told WSVN that he relayed to Dolphins general manager Chris Grier that Barrett intended to come back.
Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that he didn’t find out that Barrett desired to return until he saw reports about it the following day. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver also stated that he didn’t find out about the Barrett news until he was asked about it on Tuesday.
Why wouldn’t Grier tell his head coach, who he’s been in lockstep with the last three years, or the defensive coordinator that Barrett intended on unretiring?
The Dolphins have been without star pass rusher Bradley Chubb all of this year and their other star pass rusher, Jaelan Phillips, since week four, so it’s confusing why Grier wouldn’t jump at the chance of bringing back another pass rusher or at least let his coaches know immediately?
Is this the first sign of a fracturing relationship between GM and the head coach?
You could say that Grier was going to tell them or that they had a few days to decide, so it wasn’t level red urgency, but having your coaches find out news from the media that the GM has sat on for a day is bad business.
With how this season has been shaping out, this level of dysfunction could be the nail in the coffin of Chris Grier’s tenure with the Dolphins.
The only way I see Grier with the Dolphins in 2025 is if they win out, and that’ll be a tall task with five games left to play.
