Miami Dolphins Tackle Kendall Lamm Drops Major Hint About Retirement Decision
Kendall Lamm appears to have made his decision when it comes to his football future, and that decision is returning to play for an 11th NFL season.
The question for the veteran offensive tackle will be whether he will be returning to the Miami Dolphins or signing with another team as an unrestricted free agent.
On an Instagram Reel on Monday, Lamm discussed attending a Pro Athletic Community business combine in Arizona and his takeaways from the event. But his three-part message included a message indicating he’s getting himself ready for the 2025 season.
Lamm is working his way back after undergoing back surgery after the Dolphins on IR toward the end of the 2024 season.
“Now I will shut up and go to that gym,” Lamm said on Instagram. “Yes, I’m progressing smooth. Yes, I’m able to push a weight. The boy was pushing nine plates on the sled today. It’s coming. Let’s believe year 11 going to be a real thing one way or another. It’s always going to rise if you put the work in, and that’s what we need to do.”
Heading for free agency isn’t new territory for Lamm, who signed a one-year contract to return to the Dolphins each of the past two offseasons.
He said in an Instagram video after re-signing last April that this would be his finale in the NFL, but had a change of heart at some point.
Lamm is one of four impending unrestricted free agents on the Dolphins offensive line along with guards Robert Jones, Liam Eichenberg and Isaiah Wynn, and it absolutely would make sense for the Dolphins to bring him back for a third full season.
That’s especially true if the team winds up moving on from veteran left tackle Terron Armstead (despite his offer to bring his base salary down to the veteran minimum) to pave the way for 2024 second-round pick Patrick Paul to become the full-time starter in 2025.
Having a veteran like Lamm to back up both Paul and starting right tackle Austin Jackson is a borderline must for the Dolphins, and Lamm has proven to be a solid, reasonably priced option for that role.
Lamm played last season on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million, and doing something similar contractually would make sense for both parties. Lamm isn’t likely to get a much better offer on the free agent market, he clearly likes playing for Miami after re-signing twice, and he would fill a need.
Lamm played 15 games with seven starts for the Dolphins last season before ending the season on injured reserve because of a back injury.
After the season, Lamm explained what happened to him on social media, saying a back injury that would require surgery was what landed him on injured reserve.
“It’s been among the more trying things that I’ve had to deal with,” Lamm said. “I have a disc in my left side and my back that’s bulging into one of my nerves that’s causing my entire left side to go numb. It has been one of the more trying things to try to sleep at night. It’s been one of the more trying things trying to walk even that Sunday morning before the game, like I could barely feel certain things in my left side. But of course, we do, we try to do what we can for the team, and I know we wanted to make the playoffs, and playing is near and dear to me. It’s a sacred thing, so I try my best to do whatever I can to help.
“But at the same time, as I’ve been told, this is nothing to play with, so the procedure will be done when it’s done. And you know, I appreciate all the well wishes and everything. I know I said this might be my last year, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I just want my dogs to handle business this Sunday and hopefully get into the playoffs. So God bless you guys. Happy New Year, and take care of yourselves.”
Lamm took over at right tackle after Jackson sustained a season-ending knee injury and started seven of the 15 games he played for the Dolphins in 2024, which was his 10th season in the NFL.
He said on social media after re-signing with the Dolphins in the offseason this would be his last season, but he clearly hasn’t closed the door on coming back.
The one game Lamm had missed this season came in Week 15 against the Houston Texans because of his back injury, but he was able to play against the San Francisco 49ers the following week and then was removed from the injury report last week before playing every offensive snap in the 20-3 victory against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday.
