According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Miami Dolphins were interested in signing former Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson this offseason before he announced his decision to retire from the NFL for multiple reasons.
“Retirement, after thinking it over and having some talks with my family, I think it’s time for me to take a step back and spend more time with my family,” Nelson told KPRC 2 in a telephone interview. “We’re expecting a newborn this coming month and I wanted to devote all of my time and energy to that and various business ventures off the field. I’m extremely proud of what I was able to do in the game of football.
“Coming from a small town without a lot of resources, having to go to junior college, making it out of there to go to Oregon State, which was across the country from my family, going through a lot of trials and tribulations to get to where I am today and to be able to persevere and make it this far. I’m extremely proud of my legacy and my career.”
The Dolphins were allegedly one of many teams who eyed the 31-year-old.
“Multiple NFL teams, including the [Houston] Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins made prospective contract offers or serious inquiries about signing Nelson this offseason when his two-year contract expired with Houston, according to several general managers and league sources,” Wilson wrote. “However, Nelson made the choice to instead step away from the game at this time for family and business reasons.”
The cornerback — who was selected by the Chiefs with the No. 98 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft — played for four teams across nine seasons in the pros.
Nelson appeared in 17 games with the Texans during the 2023 regular season and totaled 63 combined tackles, 48 solo tackles, 15 assists on tackles, 12 passes defended and four interceptions.
The former Oregon State University standout contributed to Houston being one of the best defensive teams in the league. The Texans allowed 20.8 points per contest, the 11th-fewest of any NFL squad.
Buoyed by their formidable defensive unit and the play of quarterback C.J. Stroud on the other side of the ball, the Texans finished the regular season with a 10-7 record, which was good enough to clinch the AFC South division.
Following Houston’s successful regular season, the team beat the Cleveland Browns in its first playoff game by a large margin. The Texans won by 31 points and held the Browns’ offense to just 14 points in the game, including zero in the second half.
Stroud completed 16 of his 21 pass attempts while also ending up with three passing touchdowns against Cleveland, and Nelson came up with an interception.
However, Nelson and the Texans’ season came to an end not long after beating the Browns. The team lost to the Baltimore Ravens by a final score of 34-10 back in January, and Stroud was not his usual self from a passing standpoint, considering he completed just 19 of his 33 pass attempts and didn’t throw so much as a single touchdown.
While Nelson’s numbers with the Texans during the 2023 regular season suggest that he could have carved out a successful stint with the Dolphins, it’s easy to understand why he decided to call it quits on his NFL career.
