Is Pharaoh Brown’s Recent Quote a Cause for Concern?
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Miami Dolphins had a bunch of press conferences last Tuesday for their new free agent additions. While these pressers are mainly for show and ultimately don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, making a good first impression helps build goodwill from the fanbase. Fans are generally more inclined to root for someone who genuinely takes pride in representing their city and being on their team. Players know this, so a lot of them have generic, pre-planned responses about how “excited” they are to join the team.
However there are times when a player has no filter and is brutally honest about their motivations for signing with a team. Such is the case with new Dolphins tight end Pharaoh Brown. Isaiah Smalls from the Miami Herald asked Pharaoh what attracted him to sign with Miami. “Beggars can’t be choosers.” Brown said, before letting out a chuckle. While the folks at Barstool find Pharaoh Brown’s honesty refreshing, should his quote be a cause for concern amongst Dolphins fans who may actually want players that actually have a burning desire to play here?
"Beggars Can't Be Choosers" – New Dolphins TE Pharaoh Brown Gave The Realest Answer About What Attracted Him To Sign With Miami https://t.co/l4QNEnOsWm pic.twitter.com/R54lVOUseU
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 26, 2025
At first glance, Pharaoh Brown’s “beggars can’t be choosers” quote seems to go against the player-centric culture Mike McDaniel is trying to build. In order to have a player-driven locker room, the players have to want to be there. While Brown was likely referencing his lack of interested suitors, this quote taken out of context gives off the impression that the only reason why he signed with the Dolphins is because he had no other options. As if he’s stuck playing for a team that he feels indifferent about.
In theory, having a head coach who empowers their players to the extent McDaniel does should help attract players to your team. Take the Minnesota Vikings for instance, they have a head coach in Kevin O’Connell who just won Coach of The Year. The recognition O’Connell received at the NFL Honors was instrumental in helping Minnesota recruit some big-name free agents like Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave. All of whom the Dolphins could really use right now. Granted, it also helps that the Vikings won 14 games last season, whereas the Dolphins missed the playoffs.
Then again, it’s not like the Miami Dolphins are a poorly run organization that players stray away from. Quite the contrary, because for the past two years the Dolphins earned the top spot in the NFLPA’s annual report card. The Phins are the only team in the NFL that can argue they have a better workplace culture than the Vikings as of late. While I understand the Dolphins are stuck in salary cap hell for the foreseeable future, it’s just really odd to hear a new free agent addition openly state there wasn’t anything that attracted him to Miami.
Pharaoh Brown’s quote would make more sense if he was signing with a more downtrodden franchise like the Cleveland Browns. 2024 may have been a rough year for the Dolphins with all of the injuries, but they still reached the playoffs in two out of the last three seasons. My biggest concern with a quote like this is that this mindset completely negates the potential benefits of Mike McDaniel’s coaching style. McDaniel gets a lot of flak for being too lenient at times, but he’s a player’s coach who’s great at maintaining the good vibes in the locker room.
It’s a lot harder for McDaniel to reap the benefits of a happy locker room if some guys could really care less about playing for the Miami Dolphins. I wouldn’t panic over Pharaoh Brown’s indifference towards being a Dolphin, but the overall locker room morale is worth monitoring going forward. Mike McDaniel could be entering a make or break year, and no amount of amusing nonchalant pressers can change the fact that these players want to win now.
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