The Dolphins are still $20MM over the cap as of Friday afternoon. The team will not see any savings from the Xavien Howard post-June 1 cut for several months, thus more actions will be required in order to bring the team under the 2024 salary cap.
The Dolphins’ plans for their top two free agents will be impacted by this. Unless there’s a last-minute switch, it appears that Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt are leaving. At their respective positions, each will be a candidate to land a near-top-market deal, and it doesn’t appear like the Dolphins will be ready to match such an offer.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Hunt’s pay demands make a comeback seem improbable. Hunt, a more reliable player, may get his start thanks to Kevin Dotson’s $16 million per year Rams contract (which includes a $32 million guarantee). The market will most likely force the Dolphins out of the bidding, Jackson continues, but they have maintained a positive relationship with Hunt’s camp throughout this process. The Dolphins are paying Austin Jackson in addition to Terron Armstead, meaning Hunt is likely on his way out. The parties had discussed an extension months ago.
The former second-round pick, who was moved from right tackle to right guard in 2021, has performed well inside. For the last three years in Miami, the O-line coach carousel, injuries, and position changes have plagued the squad, and Hunt was arguably the most dependable O-lineman. However, the Dolphins may have to replace both their starting center and guards because a top-10 guard deal is expected. Even though Connor Williams is a free agent in the near future and suffered an ACL injury in December, he performed admirably during his two-year Dolphins contract and is expected to draw a lot of interest.
Although Wilkins is reportedly still being pursued by the Dolphins, thereby exposing a priority queue with Hunt at No. 2, the price point will likely eliminate them from contention. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has stated that Wilkins should be able to fetch an average contract in the $24–$25MM bracket. Before the parties ended negotiations prior to the season, the Dolphins made a top-10 DT offer to the 2019 first-round pick last year. However, Jackson notes that the team has not demonstrated that it is comfortable spending $25MM-AAV to keep Wilkins.
Because of Wilkins’ low sack production (11.5 from 2019–22), the Dolphins were reluctant to match offers from players like Quinnen Williams, Drew Lawrence, Daron Payne, and Jeffery Simmons. However, in 2021 and 2022, ESPN’s run stop win rate ranked Wilkins in the top two. The Clemson alum then went on to have a nine-sack contract year. With teams like the Texans and Vikings anticipated to bid, he is primed to profit. The Dolphins will have to replace a five-year starter in that most likely scenario.
There is no way that the Dolphins and Howard reunion—which General Manager Chris Grier suggested would happen—will transpire somewhere on Miami’s depth chart. In an interview with 560 WQAM, the former All-Pro cornerback stated, “That door is closed” with regard to a return to Miami at a reduced salary. When asked if he would take a wage cut to stay earlier in the offseason, Howard responded in a similar manner. Nevertheless, the big-ticket deal the Dolphins offered him, which includes $50.6MM in new money, came about because the Byron Jones trade made the ballhawk unhappy with his own contract in the early 2020s. As a result, the soon-to-be 31-year-old corner will have to play the 2024 season at a reduced cost.
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