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Kenny Stills – March 8, 2017 Download PDF version

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Wide Receiver Kenny Stills

(How do you feel about the way this has turned out and why did you want to stay?)  – “Obviously it makes me very happy and  excited for this deal to get done. This is what we wanted from the very beginning and like I said, it’s something we wanted from the start – the fact that I wanted to be back here with this team and we were building something special, and so that’s exactly why I’m back.”

(Did you think you could have gotten more money from another team and how much was a certain amount of money a factor in the negotiations here?) – “You know there’s always opportunities out there – other opportunities – but I was focused on what we’re doing here in Miami and what we’re building here and honestly, that’s really all I cared about.”

(Was staying in Miami something that theoretically would have been worth taking less money for you to do because of how important it was for you to be with this particular team?)  – “Yes, definitely. And that’s something I talk to with the younger guys all the time. It helped that I had two different experiences with two different teams and different head coaches, and I was able to make the best decision that I thought was for me and my family and also something that I knew that I was going to be able to live with in the long run.”

(You’ve obviously been in the league for four years now, but this is kind of life-changing money. It’s your first huge contract in the NFL. Has that kind of set in yet, that your life’s pretty good now?) – “Honestly, I haven’t really thought about that. I’m happy and I’m excited and I think back at some of the low times in my life and the things that I’ve been through and all of the hard work  and sacrifice that myself and a lot of people have put in for me to get to this position, so I’m just thankful. I’m happy to be here. I know it is right.”

(You established yourself as a major player in the community with all the stuff you did in your first two seasons in Miami. What kind of role did your community work and what you do in the community – what you’re able to do here – play in you wanting to stay here?) – “It played a big role. All the relationships that I’ve built here in Miami – every single person in this building, every single person that works for this organization and the fans – from Day 1, have made me feel like I was at home. Like I said, I believe we have something special not only here in this building, but here in Miami. We’re going to continue to build on that the best that we can.”

(When you say that you feel like you guys are building something special, is there one reason for that? Is it Head Coach Adam Gase? Is it the 10-6 finish, the six-game winning streak? Is there one reason or maybe one or two primary reasons you have that feeling?) – “I have that feeling from the top down – from what (Owner) Mr. (Stephen) Ross has invested in this team and all the way to the players and the people in this building. Everybody is working towards one common goal. When you have an organization being ran that way, you have something special, and that’s what I’m talking about.”

(When we saw Head Coach Adam Gase in Indianapolis, he mentioned that some days he felt good about you coming back. Some days he said he felt like crap about you coming back. He said he hates free agency. He said that he has a very special relationship with you. How would you describe the role that Coach Gase played in your decision to want to come back? What is it about him that allows you guys to connect?) – “It’s tough. I would echo what he said about the free agency process. It’s tough, and we – day-by-day – had these different ups and downs and feeling like if it was going to get done or not. Our relationship is unique, because of him, and he allows that with this team and with the guys on this team. I feel like that’s a part of this building being special. He really, genuinely cares about us and is looking out for us and wants what’s in our best interest. So, it makes it easy to play for a guy like that.

(I’m sure you don’t want to talk too much about negotiations, but I wanted to ask you how many other teams called about you, how many teams you seriously considered, and if there is a … Philadelphia is obviously a name that we heard thrown out there. Was that accurate?) – “You can’t believe everything that you read, but a majority of what was out there was pretty true. We had three major players in this. Like I said, I felt like Miami was the best place for me.”

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