With safety Jevon Holland headed to Giants, Dolphins sign Ifeatu Melifonwu
And just like that, the Miami Dolphins need just one safety.
Jevón Holland will sign with the New York Giants, bringing the 2021 second-round pick’s time in Miami to an end. The deal will pay Holland $45 million over the course of three years, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Approximately $30.3 million of the contract will be guaranteed.
Minutes after Holland’s signing came to light, former Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu reached a deal with the Dolphins, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. The 2021 third-round pick started only 14 of a potential 37 games. His two interceptions came in 2023 and he appeared in only three games in 2024.
During his four-year career in Miami, Holland racked up more than 300 combined tackles, five interceptions and 25 pass breakups as a hybrid safety. He also added five forced fumbles, five sacks and nine tackles for loss.
Despite his production, coach Mike McDaniel made it very clear that Holland’s time with the Dolphins could soon come to an end.
“I think Jevón has earned the right to go out and test his market,” McDaniel said Feb. 25 at the NFL Combine, “and that’s something that I don’t look at as a negative because what I don’t want is players being here and wishing they were somewhere else.”
Holland’s deal with the Giants puts the young safety in the range of roughly $15 million in earnings per year. With the Dolphins’ limited cap space at just more than $30 million, it was unlikely that Miami would spend about half on a single player. Melifonwu, on the other hand, got a one-year contract worth $4 million.
The Dolphins’ need for safety help stems from the unit’s up-and-down 2024. Both Holland and Jordan Poyer battled injuries for most of the year and neither recorded a single interception. The duo’s lone forced turnover came Week 1 when Holland punched out the football just as Jacksonville Jaguars running back Trevor Etienne was about to cross the goal line.
Poyer, who signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in 2024, isn’t expected back. As far as Melifonwu is concerned, only time will tell whether the 25-year-old safety can match what Holland brought at his peak.
On the bright side, Holland’s departure does mean the Dolphins will likely get a high compensatory pick.
This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 8:12 AM.
