The improbable way Dolphins could land Lamar Jackson. And Miami makes roster moves
The improbable notion of Lamar Jackson returning to South Florida to become the Dolphins’ quarterback became less likely on Tuesday when the Baltimore Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, eliminating Miami’s ability to bid on him before the draft.
The non-exclusive tag, a one-year deal worth $32.4 million, allows a team to sign Jackson to an offer sheet, which the Ravens could then match. If the Ravens don’t match, Baltimore would receive two first-round picks, one each in 2023 and 2024.
But in order to sign Jackson to an offer sheet before the draft in late April, a team must have a 2023 first-round pick. The Dolphins don’t have a 2023 first-round pick, having lost one as league punishment for tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton, and having sent the other to Denver in a November trade for outside linebacker Bradley Chubb.
ESPN analyst and former Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum said the non-exclusive tag would make it highly unlikely that the Dolphins could land Jackson.
And ESPN’s Jeff Darlington said uneqovically that the Dolphins won’t be pursuing Jackson.
The only way that Jackson could possibly end up with the Dolphins is if he decides he wants to play for the Dolphins, waits on signing an offer sheet until after the draft and then signs one with Miami. This would then allow the Dolphins to give up first-round picks in 2024 and 2025 as compensation. But even then, the Ravens would have the right to match.
Baltimore and Jackson have been in contract negotiations for over a year, with Jackson reportedly looking for a contract similar to Deshaun Watson. Last year, the Cleveland Browns gave Watson a five-year, $230 million deal that is fully guaranteed. It’s a record for the highest guarantees given to an NFL player.
Throughout rampant speculation over the last year-plus about interest in other quarterbacks, the Dolphins have publicly backed Tua Tagovailoa, with general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel most recently saying they want the 25-year-old to be in Miami for years to come. The team has a May 2 deadline to exercise Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option, which would extend his rookie deal through the 2024 season and fully guarantee his $23 million base salary.
Tagovailoa is also eligible for an extension and Grier said at the NFL Scouting Combine last week that Tagovailoa’s injury concerns, which include a pair of diagnosed concussions in 2022, would not deter the organization from completing a long-term deal.
“All expectation is he’s our quarterback and he’s our quarterback here to be successful for a long time,” Grier said.
The Dolphins, as expected, did not use their franchise tag on any of their free agents by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
ROSTER MOVES
The Dolphins released tight end/H-back Cethan Carter, eliminating his $2.3 million 2023 cap hit and $2.3 million 2023 salary, none of which was guaranteed.
Carter sustained a concussion in the opener last September and spent the remainder of the season on injured reserve.
The Dolphins’ first free agent signing in March of 2021, Carter played in 17 games, with one start, over his two seasons for Miami, catching two passes for 16 yards. He was a key player on the Dolphins’ special teams unit in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins tendered Elijah Campbell, who started at safety in the team’s regular-season finale against the Jets and seems to have a skill set that fits new coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense. He has appeared in 18 games, with the one start, in two seasons with the Dolphins.
Campbell is due to make will make $1.01 million in 2023.
Miami is now $16.4 million over the salary cap and must get under the cap by next Wednesday, March 15. The Dolphins can do that by restructuring contracts of several of their highest-paid players.
POUNCEY TO RETIRE AS DOLPHIN
On Thursday, center Mike Pouncey will sign a one-day contract to retire as a Dolphin.
Selected 15th overall by Miami in the 2011 draft, Pouncey spent seven of his 10 NFL seasons with the Dolphins and appeared in three Pro Bowls during his time with Miami.
He signed with the Chargers before the 2018 season and made his fourth Pro Bowl that season. But he missed much of the 2019 season with a neck injury and all of the 2020 season with a hip injury. He announced his retirement in February 2021.
Pouncey started all 114 NFL games in which he appeared; 93 of those starts came with the Dolphins and 21 with the Chargers.
This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 4:32 PM.
