What Hill deal does to Dolphins cap space and opportunities created. And players audition
The Dolphins’ treasure trove of available cap space increased to $35.7 million after Tyreek Hill’s restructuring last week.
The question is whether Miami will use a good chunk of that space in the months ahead or instead carry nearly all of it over to next offseason, when the Dolphins will need it. If the Dolphins sign an unsigned free agent, it likely wouldn’t cost more than a few million dollars, if that.
So if the Dolphins take a significant bite out of that cap space (beyond the couple million needed to sign a practice squad), it likely would be for any of four things over the months to come:
1). Acquiring a high-priced player via trade, perhaps a guard or defensive tackle.
2). Extending the contract of safety Jevon Holland, who can become an unrestricted free agent in March. Using the franchise tag on Holland next spring would cost the Dolphins $18.78 million. Allowing him to get to free agency would be risky.
3). Extending the contract of outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips at some point this season, more likely after he’s back from last November’s torn Achilles tendon. A new contract would replace his $13.25 million 2025 fifth-year option, which has already been exercised by the team.
4). Extending any other impending free agents besides Holland. Linebacker David Long Jr. would be the most prominent of the Dolphins’ other impending free agents; guard/center Liam Eichenberg also is nine months from free agency.
The upshot of carrying over most of the space: Miami already is $41.2 million over next year’s cap, and so the Dolphins need the extra flexibility next offseason.
Hill’s restructured contract drops his 2024 cap hit from $31.3 million to $18.4 million.
THIS AND THAT
Hill will have bigger cap hits in 2025 ($31.1 million ) and 2026 ($55.2 million). But ovethecap.com says he has a $19.2 million cap hit in 2027, when he’s no longer under contract. These cap hits following the expiration of a player’s contract are becoming more popular; they are called void years.
As Pro Football Talk first reported, Hill’s new deal raises his salary from $44.6 million to $54 million combined over the next two seasons. All of that money is guaranteed.
He’s set to make $36 million in 2026, of which $11 million becomes guaranteed in 2026 (including $5 million on the third day of the new league year in March 2026).
Per PFF’s Mike Florio, Hill’s deal “also includes a maximum annual incentive of $500,000 for more than 50 percent playing time in a playoff game and a playoff game win.”
And of the $54 million combined he’s due over the next two seasons, “$2.8 million of it is tied to playing in 34 regular season games. For 2024, he loses $58,823 for each game missed. In 2025, he loses $105,882 for each game missed.”
▪ The Dolphins auditioned veteran guard/center Scott Quessenberry and guard Justin McCray on Monday.
Quessenberry, 29, has started 26 NFL games. A former fifth-round pick of the Chargers, he missed all of last season with a torn ACL and torn MCL sustained in an August practice with the Texans.
McCray, 32, who attended Miami Southridge High, has started 31 games, but appeared in only four games for Carolina last season, starting two.
▪ Vic Fangio consistently downplayed involvement in personnel decisions during his one year as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator (2023). But he told Eagles reporters on Monday that he tried to get the Dolphins to trade for Eagles defensive Milton Williams last season; the Eagles were not interested in trading him. Fangio now coaches him.
▪ Among those not immediately seen at the start of the Dolphins-Falcons joint practice in Miami Gardens on Tuesday: safety Jordan Poyer, running back Salvon Ahmed, receivers Braxton Berrios and Jaylen Waddle and Erik Ezukanma and linebackers Anthony Walker and Jordyn Brooks, plus outside linebacker Mo Kamara.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 10:29 AM.
