The Bill Comes Due For The Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have been aggressive when it comes to handing out massive contracts to their star players. In theory, this was all in service of maximizing a Super Bowl window by virtue of high-end talent.

It was a blueprint that the Los Angeles Rams had just followed to get themselves a Lombardy Trophy, and if the Dolphins could replicate their success, it could have morphed into a kind of meta for the league. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case for Miami, as injuries have hampered their success the past three seasons, and all they have to show for it is two wildcard losses. The greatest downside of the lack of real success is the bill comes regardless and now they are being forced to make some tough decisions.

So, how did Miami get itself into such a precarious salary cap situation? When they traded for Tyreek Hill in 2022 they also gave the speedster a 4 year $120 million contract extension that comes with a cap hit of over $27 million in 2025 and $51.8 million in 2026. Likewise when they traded for defensive end Bradley Chubb from the Broncos they gave him a 5 year $110 million contract. He’s currently set to have a cap hit of $28.6 million in 2025, then $29 million in 2026 and 2027.

Jalen Ramsey also received a new contract when the Dolphins acquired him, this time for 3 years and $72.3 million. He’ll earn $16.6 million in 2025, $25 million in 2026, and $26.8 million in 2026.

There was also some homegrown talent that earned extensions with Jaylen Waddle signing a 3 year $84.75 million extension with the Dolphins, however his cap hit is a much more manageable $8 million in 2025 and $11 million in 2026 before it balloons to $33.8 and $37.2 in 2027 and 2028.

Of course, Tua Tagovailoa signed a four-year $212.4 million extension last offseason. He will have a $39 million cap hit in 2025 and $56 million in 2026 before a potential out.

Those are a lot of numbers, but what they ultimately mean is the Dolphins have been forced into a position where they aren’t able to keep some of their homegrown talent, and they have to reevaluate the commitments they’ve already handed out. That started with Terron Armstead restructuring his deal to the league minimum as he contemplates his future both with the Dolphins and playing in general. Now Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins.

“have had conversations with outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, according to a league source, but his future remained undetermined as of mid-afternoon Tuesday.”

The conversations surround a possible restructuring of his contract to lessen his cap hit as Chubb returns from an ACL injury that kept him on the sidelines for all of 2024. It also seems clear that the team will be moving on from Jevon Holland, Holland has already voiced his displeasure with the team excluding him from social media posts and with the Dolphins deciding not to franchise tag him it seems the two sides are headed for a divorce. It’s a disappointing outcome for a player who once held much promise but not one that is unfamiliar to fans. Just last season, we watched as fan favorite Christian Wilkins moved on for a new contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. As did Robert Hunt with the Carolina Panthers, Hunt may have been best known for illegally catching a pass and diving head over heels into the endzone in an iconic big man with football moment, but he had also become one of the better offensive linemen on a team that desperately needs offensive line help.

Along with the Dolphins needing to rebuild their offensive line, they now will have to revamp their secondary, with Holland likely signing elsewhere. They’re a team with many needs but a lack of assets to fill those needs.

They also have no one to blame but themselves, they bet the farm on the Rams blueprint and it didn’t work out for them, so now it will take a maneuvering and slight of hand with the salary cap in order for them to improve on their 8-9 record next season.

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