Where Dolphins stand with spending money. And Fins’ QB due diligence
All of the Dolphins’ new contracts have now been registered on their books, and they’ve emerged in decent shape, with $16.5 million in cap space and the ability to clear out nearly $30 million more with simple restructurings.
The Dolphins escaped a difficult cap predicament with three contract restructures (Bradley Chubb, Austin Jackson and Terron Armstead), by signing value players in free agency and by using something called void years, which lowers a player’s cap hit for the following season but results in a cap hit when he’s no longer under contract.
The void year concept was used on quarterback Zach Wilson. The Dolphins opted to put just $2.2 million of his $6 million salary on their 2025 cap, with a $3.8 million hit in 2026, when he’s no longer under contract.
Void years are the NFL’s quintessential “kick the tire down the road” approach.
Some of that $16 million in cap space will be needed to sign a draft class; the Dolphins’ 10 picks will cost close to $6 million against the cap, a figure that could change if the Dolphins make trades.
The Dolphins also need to set aside some money if Calais Campbell accepts a standing offer from the team. [Update: Campbell signed with the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday afternoon.]
They will need about $3 million to sign a practice squad. And they need some money set aside if they need to sign veterans in the months ahead.
Depending on how the remainder of the offseason plays out, the Dolphins might need to create more cap space at some point, something that easily could be done by restructuring contracts of Zach Sieler or Jordyn Brooks, without either taking a pay cut.
The Dolphins have continued to bypass a Tua Tagovailoa restructure, which would create an extra $19 million in space but add $4.8 million to his cap hits in 2026 through 2029.
The Dolphins might need to clear out significantly more space if they sustain major longterm injuries to players before the regular season starts or if they get through OTAs convinced they need to spend on a proven player at a position where they’re experimenting with younger, less established players.
For example, if Ifeatu Melikonwu and Ashtyn Davis struggle during camp - or if Meliknowu sustains an injury after five stints on injured reserve in four years with Detroit - the Dolphins might need to do what the Falcons did last August when they gave safety Justin Simmons a one-year, $8 million contract.
Simmons, Campbell, defensive lineman Za’Darius Smith and cornerbacks Asante Samuel Jr., James Bradberry and Rasul Douglas remain some of the “name” players still unsigned.
In Campbell’s case, he is believed to be weighing interest from the Dolphins and Ravens and determining whether he wants to keep playing.
▪ Now that all the Dolphins’ contracts have been registered, what remained true a week ago remains the case today: The Dolphins didn’t guarantee a single dollar, beyond this season, to any of their new players.
Among the free agent additions, the 2025 salaries are completely or nearly entirely guaranteed for Daniels, Wilson, receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Melikonwu, offensive tackle Larry Borom, running back Alexander Mattison and linebackers Willie Gay Jr. and KJ Britt. (Incumbent linebacker Tyrel Dodson’s salary was guaranteed for 2025 but not 2026.)
The only guaranteed money for tight end Pharoah Brown, punter Ryan Stonehouse and cornerback Ashtyn Davis are their modest signing bonuses. Cornerback Artie Burns received no guaranteed money, per overthecap.com.
Stonehouse is the clear favorite for the Dolphins’ punting job, and releasing Jake Bailey would drop his cap hit from $2.5 million to $550,000. But the Dolphins haven’t waived Bailey to this point, and a case could be made to have them battle through OTAs.
Bailey has no guaranteed money due, while only Stonehouse’s $75,000 signing bonus is guaranteed.
Only the top 51 players count against a team’s cap. For Miami, the new cut-off point is receiver Malik Washington, who is 52nd on the team with a $1 million salary.
The Dolphins have $30 million in dead money on their books.
This and that
▪ The Dolphins have been spending time with quarterbacks in this draft class, including a dinner with Texas’ Quinn Ewers.
Last week, assistant GM Marvin Allen attended Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough’s workout. They’ve met with Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. Syracuse’s Kyle McCord has been evaluated.
This could simply be a case of due diligence. But agent Drew Rosenhaus predicted, on his WSVN-Fox TV segment, that Miami will draft a quarterback, and that wouldn’t be surprising in the wake of Tua Tagovailoa missing six games last season.
▪ The Dolphins have scheduled Rutgers defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton for a pre-draft visit in South Florida. Hamilton, who is 6-4 and 305 pounds, had six sacks and 11 tackles for loss in four years with Rutgers. He could be a third day pick or undrafted free agent.
Teams can bring in 30 players for pre-draft meetings and medical tests, and Hamilton will be one of the 30.
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 10:36 AM.
