Joe Cardona finished his tenure as a team captain in 2024.
Joe Cardona will be remaining in the AFC East.
The Miami Dolphins announced the signing of the former New England Patriots long snapper on Friday, shortly over a week after he became a free agent.
Roster Move | We have signed LS Joe Cardona. pic.twitter.com/W00busSwDk
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 9, 2025
Cardona, 33, held the longest tenure on the roster in Foxborough until his release on April 29. The run stretched 10 campaigns and Super Bowl LI and LIII rings.
Chosen in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft at No. 166 overall, Cardona went on to appear in 160 games in the regular season for the Patriots, handling 1,435 snaps on special teams to go with 20 tackles and one forced fumble. In addition, he played in 13 playoff games.
By way of the Navy Midshipmen, Cardona won the Salute to Service Award as well as a spot on the franchise’s All-Dynasty team during his stay. He served as a captain in the kicking game in 2024 and was midway through a four-year contract extension.
New England selected long snapper Julian Ashby in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft at No. 251 overall. The product of Furman and Vanderbilt officially signed his contract as rookie minicamp opened.
“I think any time that you have to move on from players that have been at a place and that have been a part of successful football teams, it just comes down to our ability to acquire a player that we believe in strongly,” head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Friday. “And we just felt like that was the best decision to go with Julian. … I have a lot of respect for Joe and what he’s done here. We tried to do that in the most respectful way possible and give him an opportunity to go and catch on.”
Cardona now joins special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman’s roster in Miami Gardens, which also includes ex-Patriots punter Jake Bailey.