25/25/25 No. 20: Brent Grimes
- J.C. Reeves
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
While Brent Grimes was only in Miami for three seasons, his contributions to the team were significant.
Grimes signed with the Dolphins in 2013 and made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons. He earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2014 and was selected to the 2016 Pro Bowl (following the 2015 season) as an alternate, replacing Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib, who were unavailable due to Super Bowl 50 participation with the Denver Broncos.
Grimes was known throughout his career as a lockdown corner. During his time in Miami, he recorded 13 of his 33 career interceptions, including an unforgettable one-handed snag over future Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson in 2014 to prevent a touchdown. His pick over Johnson, a.k.a. "Megatron", earned Grimes the nickname "Optimus Grimes" among fans. He had four interceptions in both 2013 and 2015, and five in 2014. Of his three career pick-sixes, two came during his stint with the Dolphins.
Grimes went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft and signed a three-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent. The three-time Division II All-American from Shippensburg University played in NFL Europa with the Amsterdam Admirals, Rhein Fire and Hamburg Sea Devils, helping the Sea Devils win World Bowl XV in 2007.
Working his way into a starting role, Grimes played 12 seasons in the NFL. With the Dolphins, he tallied 166 tackles, forced one fumble and recorded three tackles for loss.
Grimes was released by the Dolphins in 2016 after reportedly refusing to restructure his contract. According to team owner Stephen Ross, his wife, Miko Grimes, was partly to blame for the decision due to her controversial and distracting behavior. Miko was arrested in September 2015 outside Sun Life Stadium for disorderly conduct, though charges were dropped in December. She also threatened a Miami Herald reporter over a story questioning Brent’s future with the team and publicly criticized quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s play, tweeting, “I knew this QB stunk the minute we signed to this team.” After Grimes' release, Miko called the Dolphins “the dumpster fire of the AFC East” in a social media post.
“I think everybody knows what she represented. I thought it was best that the Dolphins move on from Brent and Miko,” Ross said in a Palm Beach Post article published Sept. 26, 2016.
Despite the distractions surrounding his departure, Grimes had a strong — albeit brief — tenure with the Dolphins and deserves recognition for his high-level play during that stretch.
Check back with Show-Me Fins tomorrow to see who comes in at No. 19.
Brent Grimes
CB, 5-10,185 lbs, Shippensburg, undrafted
History w/ Miami: 3 seasons (2013-2015); 47 games played; 47 starts
Other playing history: 12 total seasons (2007-2018); Atlanta (2007-2012), Tampa Bay (2016-2018)
Overall career stats: 573 TOTAL TAK; 0 SACK; 11 TFL; 0 SAF; 33 INT; 4 FF; 2 FR; 3 TD — 3 INT, 1 FR
Stats w/ Miami: 166 TOTAL TAK; 0 SACK; 3 TFL; 0 SAF; 13 INT; 1 FF; 0 FR; 2 TD — 2 INT, 0 FR
Single-season career highs: 87 TOTAL TAK (2010 — w/ Atlanta); 0 SACK; 3 TFL (2008 — w/ Atlanta); 0 SAF; 6 INT (2009 — w/ Atlanta); 1 FF (2011 — w/ Atlanta; 2014; 2016, 2018 — w/ Tampa Bay); 1 FR (2009 — w/ Atlanta; 2017 — w/ Tampa Bay); 1 TD — 1 INT, 0 FR (2013-2014; 2016 — w/ Tampa Bay)
Single-season highs w/ Miami: 60 TOTAL TAK (2013); 0 SACK; 1 TFL (2013-2015); 0 SAF; 5 INT; 1 FF (2014); 0 FR; 1 TD — 1 INT, 0 FR (2013-2014)
Awards: 4x Pro Bowl (2010 — w/ Atlanta, 2013-2015), 1x 2nd-team All-Pro (2014)
Previous 25/25/25 entries
No. 24: Chris Chambers