Sam Madison

Samuel Adolphus Madison Jr. (born April 23, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 1997 NFL draft. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Madison also played for the New York Giants. He has won two Super Bowls, Super Bowl XLII as a player with the Giants and Super Bowl LIV as an assistant coach with the Chiefs.

Madison attended Florida A&M University Developmental Research School where he played wide receiver and defensive back. Aside from football he also lettered in basketball, baseball and track and field.

Madison played college football for the University of Louisville. Madison was a three-year starter for the Cardinals and set the school records for interceptions with 16 and passes defended with 44. As a junior, he earned third-team All-America selection after recording 65 tackles, two sacks, 13 passes defensed and seven interceptions. As a senior, he was named a second-team All-America and first-team All-Conference USA after finishing with 52 tackles, two sacks, six interceptions and 16 passes defensed.

The Miami Dolphins selected Madison in the second round (44th overall) of the 1997 NFL draft. Madison was the eighth cornerback drafted in 1997.^[2]

On June 16, 1997, the Miami Dolphins signed Madison to a four—year, $2.20 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $725,000.^[3][4] He entered training camp slated to be the No. 3 outside cornerback under defensive coordinator George Hill. Head coach Jimmy Johnson named Madison a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind entrenched starters Terrell Buckley and Calvin Jackson.

On August 31, 1997, Madison made his professional regular season debut during the Miami Dolphins' home-opener against the Indianapolis Colts as they won 10–16. In Week 6, he set a season-high with two forced fumbles as the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 14–17. On November 23, 1997, Madison earned his first career start as the No. 2 starting cornerback, in place of Calvin Jackson, who started at free safety after George Teague was benched. He set a season-high with six combined tackles (four solo) as the Dolphins lost 24–27 at the New England Patriots.^[5][6] On November 30, 1997, Madison recorded two solo tackles, set a season-high with two pass deflections, and had his first career interception on a pass by Jeff George to wide receiver Tim Brown during a 34–16 victory at the Oakland Raiders.^[7] He was inactive in Week 16 during the Dolphins 0–41 loss at the Indianapolis Colts due to an ankle injury. He finished his rookie season with 21 combined tackles (16 solo), five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one interception in 14 games and three starts.^[8]

The Miami Dolphins selected Patrick Surtain in the second-round (44th overall) in 1998. Coincidentally, they both were selected 44th overall in back-to-back seasons and would be widely regarded as one of the NFL's top cornerback tandems for the majority of their seven—year partnership in the secondary.^[9]

On December 18, 1999, the Miami Dolphins signed Madison to a new eight—year, $42.60 million contract extension that included an initial signing bonus of $11 million.^[10] The contract restructured his rookie contract with one—year remaining following the end of this season, while adding a six—year extension. His deal became the largest in franchise history, surpassing Dan Marino.^[11]

On March 9, 2004, the Miami Dolphins and Madison agreed to restructure his contract, with four years remaining, saving about $3 million in cap space for 2004. Madison agreed to surrended $10 million of his contract over the final four—years.^[12]

On March 1, 2006, the Miami Dolphins released Madison in order to lower their salary cap before the official start of the new season, saving $2.62 million as a result. Madison offered to take a pay cut or to restructure the remainder of his contract to remain with the team, but was declined. He was released along with teammates Tebucky Jones, Reggie Howard, and Damion McIntosh.^[13]

Madison made the Pro Bowl for four straight years from 1999 to 2002. For much of his career as a Miami Dolphin, Sam Madison played alongside fellow cornerback Patrick Surtain. During their time together, Madison and Surtain were one of the most prolific cornerback tandems in NFL history, posting a combined 697 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 60 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns.

On March 10, 2006, the New York Giants signed Madison to a four—year, $7.20 million contract that included an initial signing bonus of $2.00 million.^[9][14]

He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots. Madison appeared in just seven games for the Giants in 2008, recording eight tackles and an interception. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a broken ankle on December 30.

On February 9, 2009, the New York Giants officially released Madison.

On February 19, 2019, Madison was hired as the secondary and cornerbacks coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.^[15] In his first year as coach, Madison won Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers.^[16] The Super Bowl win was his second win and first as a coach.

On February 18, 2022, the Miami Dolphins announced they hired Madison as their cornerbacks coach and pass game coordinator.^[17]

Madison and his wife, Saskia, have two sons, Kellen and Kaden, and a daughter Kennedy. He donated a kidney to his daughter, who was three days shy of her 11th birthday, when both of hers were failing in 2016. His house was featured on an episode of MTV Cribs. In 2019, Madison worked for WTVX as a Miami Dolphins analyst.^[18]

• Official website
• New York Giants bio