The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins with several injuries to their defense. That included James Pierre being out. As a result, Asante Samuel Jr. got his first start with the Steelers. He made a positive impact, though. Samuel recorded his first interception with the Steelers, picking off Tua Tagovailoa in the first quarter. That game might’ve been a little more personal, too. Asante Samuel Sr. hinted that the Dolphins could’ve signed his son but chose not to.

“That just goes to show you, if they don’t want to sign my son because I’m too real about the leadership in the Dolphins’ organization, fuck it,” Samuel said recently on his Say What Needs to be Said podcast. “Go on and get an interception on their ass, son.

“Show them the mistakes they made. You should be on that roster with double the money that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave you. Make them pay. Make them realize the mistakes they made.”

The elder Samuel didn’t hold back in his opinion on the Dolphins during the offseason. He shredded their leadership, as seen in a video shared by FinsXtra on Twitter.

🎥 Asante Samuel Sr. goes off on the Miami Dolphins: “They’re sensitive, there’s no leadership in the Dolphins organization. Mike McDaniel is a pushover, Chris Grier – the GM – has no backbone… they’re running this team like a little league team.” (@pick_six22) #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/RcT7QITTb3

— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) July 7, 2025

“They’re sensitive. There’s no leadership in the Dolphins’ organization. Mike McDaniel is a pushover. Chris Grier, the general manager, he has no backbone. These guys over here, the Miami Dolphins, they are running this team like a Little League team.”

To be fair, Samuel wasn’t wrong about the Dolphins’ issues. They had an ugly start to this season, being 1-6 at one point. They also fired Grier in the middle of the season. Now, they’ve benched Tagovailoa and been eliminated from playoff contention. They could still fire their head coach as well.

The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reported around the time of the elder Samuel’s comments that the Dolphins had checked in on his son, showing that they might have had interest. It’s unclear if his father’s comments steered the Dolphins away from Samuel, though.

Dolphins have checked in on recovery of his son, one of the best remaining UFA corners who is working back from neck injury. But the way this below sounds, they might have better luck waiting out Rasul Douglas or pursuing Gilmore or Bradberry https://t.co/zhYBv6e0cF

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) July 7, 2025

Also, Samuel hasn’t exactly showered the Steelers with praise, either. He’s been critical of them in the past. That also didn’t stop once they added his son.

While he was a free agent, he was still recovering from a neck injury. Samuel underwent spinal fusion surgery in April and wasn’t cleared to play until November. That might’ve been a bigger obstacle standing between him and the Dolphins.

All 32 teams had the opportunity to sign Samuel, though. Being a free agent for so long could’ve put a chip on Samuel’s shoulder. He already made a big play against one team.

It remains to be seen whether Samuel will continue to start once Pierre is healthy. Pierre has had a good season, so that could be a hard decision to make. However, that’s a good problem to have. Samuel gives the Steelers solid depth at corner. Hopefully, he has a bone to pick with every team the Steelers play against.