If you've followed the long and winding career of Ricky Williams at all, you know the only thing to be expected is the unexpected.
The 34-year-old running back showed off that endearing quality again on Wednesday night when he announced, via Twitter, that he wanted to finish his career with the Miami Dolphins, the only NFL team he's been associated with since 2002.
"I'd love nothing more than to finish my career winning a Super Bowl with the Dolphins," Williams tweeted. "But that's gonna take some cooperation from others."
Williams' intentions were first reported by The Palm Beach Post.
This was a reversal from Williams' previous stance that it was "time to move on" from the Dolphins, citing head coach Tony Sparano's "micromanaging" of the team.
Williams is an unrestricted free agent. He first came to the Dolphins in a blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Saints in 2002. What followed was an epic journey between player and team that included a rushing title, drug suspensions, retirement, a CFL stint, before a prodigal son-like return to Miami.
The University of Texas product has split the backfield load with Ronnie Brown since 2005. Williams remains an effective player despite his advanced age, rushing for 673 yards and two touchdowns on 159 carries -- an average of 4.2 yards per carry -- last season. In 2009, he broke the 1,000-yard barrier for the first time since 2003, marking the longest gap between 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history.
Williams has slowly come around on a return to the Dolphins in the months since he stated his intentions to move on following Miami's season-ending loss to the New England Patriots in January.
Whether the Dolphins want him back remains to be seen. Miami drafted Kansas State running back Daniel Thomas in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, leading to speculation the club will bring back only one of their two veteran tailbacks.
"I think, yeah, if the Dolphins really want me to stay and make a fair offer, it would be hard for me to turn it down," Williams said in April, according to the Post. "But I don't know if that's going to happen."
