The NFL free agency continues to see players change teams. One of the latest reports claims that Tua Tagovailoa‘s Miami Dolphins are landing a two-time Super Bowl champion with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes on the Kansas City Chiefs.
On Wednesday, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that free agent linebacker Willie Gay Jr. is signing a one-year deal with the Dolphins after running out of contract with the New Orleans Saints.
With this move, Miami continues to strengthen a defense that already counts on edge rushers Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Chop Robinson, and Mohamed Kamara. Not long ago, the Dolphins brought back another Super Bowl champion by re-signing LB Quinton Bell.
Gay Jr.’s Super Bowl triumphs with Reid and Mahomes in Kansas City
Selected out of Mississippi State by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Gay went on to play an important role in two of Reid and Mahomes’ Super Bowl victories in Kansas City.
After missing the Super Bowl LV loss to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to injury, Gay redeemed himself by contributing with eight tackles in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Only a year later, he recorded four tackles as Kansas City beat the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
A free agent in 2024, Gay left Reid and Mahomes‘ team for the Saints, where he spent last season on a one-year contract. He started in eight of 15 appearances, as he battled with back, hand, and shoulder injuries.
An experienced player for a Dolphins team desperate for playoff success
The Dolphins get an experienced player for their defense in Gay, who boasts 55 starts in five NFL seasons with 261 combined tackles, including 169 solo tackles and 19 tackles for loss. In addition, he recorded 10 QB hits, 22 passes defended, three forced fumbles, and six fumbles recovered.
This will be a crucial season for the franchise, which hasn’t celebrated a playoff win since 2000. Tagovailoa may have earned a massive extension last year, but he knows that his 2025 performance could be very telling for his future in Miami.