Introduction
Brent Omar Grimes (born July 19, 1983) is an American football cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Shippensburg University, and signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2006.
Prior to playing for the Falcons, Grimes was allocated to the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa. Following a championship run with the Sea Devils, Grimes would go on to play for Atlanta from 2007 to 2012. In the 2012 regular season, Grimes suffered an Achilles injury, that would eventually be a factor in Atlanta not re-signing him. During the 2013 offseason, Grimes signed with the Miami Dolphins, and went on to have a season that was worthy of some comeback player award consideration.
Professional career
2006 Pre-draft
| Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9¼ in | 177 lb | 4.57 s | 4.25 s | 7.13 s | 33½ in | 10 ft 1 in | 4 reps | ||||||||||||
| All results from the 2006 Pro Day | |||||||||||||||||||
Atlanta Falcons
Allocation to NFL Europa
Grimes was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Shippensburg by the Atlanta Falcons on May 16, 2006. Grimes was waived by the Falcons during training camp due to a groin injury. The Falcons then re-signed Grimes on January 10, 2007, and allocated him to play overseas in NFL Europa. Grimes was shipped around from the Amsterdam Admirals to the Rhein Fire, before settling with and playing for the Hamburg Sea Devils. He starred for the Sea Devils, leading the team's defense in World Bowl XV. Grimes and the Sea Devils were victorious in the World Bowl championship, defeating the Frankfurt Galaxy.
Earning a roster spot
Grimes soon found himself on the Falcons active roster in 2007. After primarily spending the 2007 and 2008 seasons as a special teamer, Grimes ground out an impressive 2009 season, registering 66 tackles and 6 interceptions. During the 2010 season, Grimes earned an NFC Defensive Player of the Week recognition, following a Week 15 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Grimes logged 3 tackles, 5 passes defended, and 1 interception in the game. Throughout the entire 2010 season, Grimes recorded 87 tackles and 5 interceptions. His 2010 effort was able to draw attention from fans and the rest of the league, earning him a Pro Bowl alternate selection. Grimes then had 2 injury plagued seasons in 2011 and 2012. Grimes would miss the Wild card playoff matchup against the New York Giants, in the playoffs following the 2011 season. In 2012, he missed the entire season after tearing his Achilles in the first game of the season.
Free agency
After the 2012 season, Grimes became a free agent, and the Falcons did not re-sign him. Although some outlets, such as ESPN and NFL.com, reported that re-signing Grimes was a priority for the Falcons, Bleacher Report wrote, "In all honesty, Grimes just isn't going to be the player that he was before. So why should the Falcons pay him like a top-tier corner that he isn't going to be anymore? Why should they waste the money on someone who won't be worth it?" During free agency, Grimes made visits with the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins.
Miami Dolphins
2013: comeback season
On March 30, 2013, Grimes signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins. During the season, he was seen as a leader to rookie cornerbacks Will Davis and Jamar Taylor. Additionally, Grimes was seen as a key piece of the Miami defense. Bleacher Report referred to Grimes as "Miami's defensive MVP and one of the biggest reasons to be hopeful of better things to come," as well as "the brightest spot for the Dolphins," in 2013. In terms of level of play, Grimes had a resurgent season, recording four interceptions, and was ranked as the second best cornerback by Pro Football Focus, en route to a Pro Bowl berth. His play earned him the #95 ranking on the NFL Top 100 2014 edition. Additionally, as he was coming off a 2012 torn Achilles injury, Grimes received consideration for the 2013 AP Comeback Player of the Year Award.
2014
On March 3, 2014, Grimes signed a four-year, $32 million contract ($16 million guaranteed) to return to the Dolphins. In the 2014 season, Grimes continued his level of play from 2013. He earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week recognition, following the Dolphins' week 9 shutout of the San Diego Chargers, in which Grimes earned 2 interceptions. Despite losing against the Detroit Lions the following week, Grimes recorded a one-handed interception, while covering Calvin Johnson, that was praised by several media outlets. As the 2014 season progressed, Grimes was considered to be proving himself to be included in the discussion for the league's best cornerback. On December 23, 2014 Brent Grimes was selected to his second consecutive, and third overall, Pro Bowl.
2015
Grimes continued to excel as the number one cornerback for the Dolphins in 2015, accumulating 42 tackles, 14 passes defended, and 4 interceptions. He was named to the 2016 Pro Bowl as injury replacement on January 24, 2016, his third consecutive pro bowl berth, and fourth overall. On March 7, 2016, Grimes was cut by the Dolphins after refusing to restructure his contract.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On March 11, 2016, Grimes signed a two-year, $16.5 million dollar deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NFL stats
| Year | Team | GP | COMB | TOTAL | AST | SACK | FF | FR | FR YDS | INT | IR YDS | AVG IR | LNG | TD | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ATL | 02 | 12 | 11 | 01 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 000 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 00 |
| 2008 | ATL | 12 | 34 | 30 | 04 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 025 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 06 |
| 2009 | ATL | 16 | 66 | 62 | 04 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 017 | 03 | 11 | 0 | 13 |
| 2010 | ATL | 16 | 87 | 76 | 11 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 084 | 17 | 36 | 0 | 23 |
| 2011 | ATL | 12 | 49 | 37 | 12 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 029 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 14 |
| 2012 | ATL | 01 | 06 | 06 | 00 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 000 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 00 |
| 2013 | MIA | 16 | 60 | 52 | 08 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 102 | 26 | 94 | 1 | 17 |
| 2014 | MIA | 16 | 57 | 47 | 10 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 080 | 16 | 32 | 1 | 13 |
| 2015 | MIA | 10 | 36 | 31 | 10 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 019 | 06 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| 2015 | TB | 16 | 57 | 51 | 6 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 037 | 09 | 31 | 1 | 24 |
| Career | 122 | 477 | 414 | 63 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 356 | 14 | 94 | 2 | 97 |
Personal life
Grimes is the son of Pennsylvania resident Deborah "Debbie" Hall. Brent is married to Miko Grimes, a controversial former sports talk show host. They married in 2010, and their son, Aiden, was born that same year.