Miami Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel appeared on “The Joe Rose Show” where he discussed his time with the team and said that he wants to remain with the Dolphins for the long haul.
“The years I’ve been here, we’ve always had a tight-knit group,” Van Ginkel said. “It’s something that we try to pride ourselves on. And not every team is like that. When you can build chemistry and build relationships with guys, it’s only gonna help you on the football field, and I think that’s a key component in being a successful team.”
Van Ginkel was asked if he would like to return to the Dolphins and provided the following response.
“Yeah, if everything works out,” he said. “I love it here. Our family loves it here. It’s been home to us the past five years, and I’d love to be a Miami Dolphin for a long time. But at the end of the day, it’s a business.”
Van Ginkel has played all five of his NFL seasons with the Dolphins franchise, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Before getting drafted by the Dolphins, he played two seasons of college football at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.
In his second and final season with the Badgers, the 2018 season, he totaled 39 solo tackles, 20 assisted tackles and 59 total tackles across 12 games played with the team.
He appeared in all 17 of Miami’s games during the 2023 regular season and accumulated 69 combined tackles, 42 solo tackles, eight tackles for loss and 19 quarterback hits.
Arguably his top performance of the season came in Miami’s win over the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve. Van Ginkel totaled 10 combined tackles and three assists on tackles in a game the Dolphins went on to win by two points to improve to 11-4 on the season.
He also put together a standout performance in the Dolphins’ loss to the Buffalo Bills back on Oct. 1. He finished with five combined tackles to go along with a pair of sacks.
But Van Ginkel did not participate in the Dolphins’ playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs a month ago due to a foot injury. He played his final game of the season against the Bills on Jan. 7.
Without Van Ginkel, the Dolphins lost to the Chiefs by a final score of 26-7. Since eliminating the Dolphins, the Chiefs have managed to advance all the way to the Super Bowl, and they will take on the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11.
The Dolphins would be wise to grant the 28-year-old’s wish to remain a member of the franchise and sign him to a long-term contract extension. After all, Van Ginkel was one of the team’s most productive defensive players this season and is still over a year away from turning 30 years old.
