An exit for Xavien
Pro Bowler Howard says ‘door is closed’ on return to team in ’24
Dolphins Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard said Thursday morning the “door is closed” on a return to the team this season, snuffing out the open-minded approach recently expressed by Dolphins general manager Chris Grier.
Howard, the two-time All Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection, was speaking on the “Joe Rose Show” on WQAM (560-AM) and was asked whether he thought a return to Miami was possible.
“That door is closed, I’m sorry,” Howard said.
Reports have said the Dolphins plan to release Howard, their 2016 second-round draft pick out of Baylor, because he was going to cost them $25.9 million against the salary cap.
Howard’s release would reportedly be after June 1, to save Miami $18.5 million on the cap.
After the season, Howard indicated he wouldn’t take a pay cut, saying, “Would you take less money if your boss asked you?”
Grier, speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 28, indicated there’s a chance Howard could return to the Dolphins after testing the freeagent market.
“At the end of the day, we just felt it was right for him to have this opportunity for his agent to go see what’s out there for him,” Grier said.
“But we didn’t close the door on it. We’re going to stay in communication as the process goes and see what happens, and we left the door open for him possibly coming back here, too.”
Howard said his agent, David Canter, told him this was a likely scenario when he signed his contract extension, so Howard wasn’t surprised this happened.
Howard said he frequently talks to Houston left tackle Laremy Tunsil, the Dolphins’ first-round pick in 2016, and Howard, a Houston native, said playing for the Texans would be good.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing myself back at home, though,” Howard said, adding he already had a house in Houston and the Texans have a “good, young team.”
Howard declined to take a shot at ex-Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
However, Howard, who excels at man-to-man press coverage, said playing off of wide receivers and playing zone wasn’t his strength.
“It was totally different,” Howard said. “I was playing off this year, a lot, and that wasn’t my best thing I do.”
However, he said he showed the league he could play in that fashion. “Hopefully I go to a team that uses me right,” Howard said.
Later in the interview Howard, who was a member of a Dolphins team that planned on going deep into the playoffs in 2023, made an interesting statement about his desire to go deep into the playoffs.
“Right now I’m at the point I want to win and I want to go deep into the playoffs,” Howard said. “I’m looking for a team, like I said, that’s been deep into the playoffs and can make a run.”