A former Super Bowl champion with Tom Brady is returning to the Miami Dolphins, led by Tua Tagovailoa, for the 2025 NFL season.
The Miami Dolphins continue to believe in Tua Tagovailoa, but the front office knows that the quarterback needs help from their side in order to succeed. In the second day of the NFL legal tampering period, the franchise made sure to retain a former Super Bowl champion with Tom Brady.
On Tuesday, NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that veteran linebacker Quinton Bell is returning to the Dolphins for the 2025 season on a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
Bell, who turns 29 in May, was set for free agency as the Fins opted not to place a tender, a move that would’ve cost the franchise at least $3,263,000. Therefore, Miami is saving nearly $2 million while keeping a player who proved useful last year.
Despite Super Bowl ring, Bell didn’t stand out until 2024
Having joined Tua’s Dolphins in October 2023, Bell spent his first year in South Beach with the team’s practice squad. 2024, however, turned out to be a breakout year for him, with the linebacker appearing in all 17 games of the regular season, playing 257 defensive snaps and 372 reps on special teams.
Quinton Bell #56 of the Miami Dolphins reacts during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns st at Huntington Bank Field on December 29, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Before landing in Miami, Bell spent time with four different NFL teams. His previous experience includes a two-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he earned a Super Bowl ring in the 2020 season, when Brady led the team to the promised land in his first year after leaving the New England Patriots.
Bell, who boasts one sack, one forced fumble, four tackles for loss, and 30 sacks in 26 appearances throughout his career, continues to secure an important area of the field for the Dolphins, who also count on edge rushers Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Chop Robinson, and Mohamed Kamara.
Bell happy to stay in Miami
The Prairie View A&M product couldn’t be happier about staying in the Miami Gardens for another year. “Fins Up ! Let’s get to work,” Bell wrote on his X account as the news of his return surfaced.
Even though his stop with the Bucs earned him a Super Bowl ring, Bell didn’t really stand out until the 2024 season with the Dolphins. Not long ago, he revealed what Miami means in his career.
“The Dolphins are the first team that really have given me a real opportunity to go there in a regular season and play and improve and and grow as a player that helps his team,” Bell said in an interview with the Miami Herald before his extension. “I feel like I have a home here. I love it here. I love my coaches. I love the belief and the confidence they have in me. It would be amazing to run it back.”
Dolphins’ moves for 2025 impacting Tagovailoa
The Dolphins have made other moves this offseason, including re-signing safety Elijah Campbell apart from multiple free agency additions: S Ifeatu Melifonwu, OL Larry Borom, and G James Daniels.
Borom and Daniels are signings that impact Tagovailoa more directly, as the 2024 season showed that the quarterback needs better protection. However, the defensive signings could also prove benefitial for the offense throughout the season.
Additionally, Tagovailoa found out that former New York Jets’ first-round pick Zach Wilson will be his backup in 2025. The quarterback is also losing a couple of teammates with tight end Durham Smythe and wide receiver Braxton Berrios leaving for the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans, respectively.
