Jaylen Waddle says he needs a ‘break’ from famous touchdown celebration

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has one of the more recognizable touchdown celebrations of any player on the team. It’s pretty appropriate considering his last name, as the 26-year-old traditionally waddles in the end zone like a penguin.

But Waddle didn’t celebrate with his patented dance when he scored a receiving touchdown in Miami’s blowout victory over the New England Patriots on Nov. 24. The star receiver hinted at the idea that he wants to experiment with different celebrations for the time being.

“It was getting out of hand. When I go out in public people are telling me to do it,” Waddle said about his patented celebration. “I don’t know if it’s retiring, but it needs a break for a little minute.”

Waddle was flat-out dominant against Miami’s second matchup of the season against the Patriots. He finished with a game-high 144 receiving yards on eight receptions. Both of those numbers also mark season-highs for Waddle, who is in his fourth season in the NFL and with the Dolphins.

The former University of Alabama standout isn’t the only Dolphin who starred against New England from a receiving standpoint. Tight end Jonnu Smith racked up 87 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown on the heels of a season-defining showing against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 17. Furthermore, wide receiver Tyreek Hill totaled 48 receiving yards, with his lengthiest reception being for 20 yards.

All of the success that Waddle, Smith and Hill enjoyed from a receiving perspective wouldn’t have been feasible if it weren’t for the play of signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa had probably his best performance of the 2024 regular season since he returned to the lineup from his head injury. He threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns without racking up a single interception.

The game against New England marked Miami’s fifth solid offensive outing in a row. The Dolphins have scored 23-plus points in every game during that span and 34 in each of their last two contests.

Miami is also now on a three-game winning streak and can get to the .500 mark on the season at 6-6 with a win over the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 28. The Packers have been a very tough out at Lambeau Field thus far this season, as Green Bay owns a home record of 4-2.

The Packers also won their most recent home game on Nov. 24 against the San Francisco 49ers by 28 points.