Dolphins, RB De’Von Achane agree to four-year, $68 million extension
De’Von Achane will go to sleep Wednesday a happy, happy man.
The Miami Dolphins and the one-time Pro Bowler agreed to a four-year extension worth $68 million, $32 million of which is guaranteed, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
At $17 million per year, the deal makes Achane the league’s third-highest paid running back.
This comes a year after Achane’s phenomenal 2025 season that culminated in his first Pro Bowl appearance. In addition to recording a league-leading 5.7 yards per carry, the former Texas A&M standout rushed for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns. He also added another 488 yards and three touchdowns through the air off of a team-high 67 receptions.
Achane’s 1,838 yards from scrimmage ranked second in franchise history behind Ricky Williams in 2002.
A third-round pick in 2023 NFL Draft, Achane set the world ablaze as a rookie with a 200-rushing-yard, six-total touchdown performance in his second career game. Injuries would limit him to just 11 games and 800 rushing yards in his first season, yet he managed to record 7.8 yards per carry, the highest average by a running back with at least 100 attempts since 1934.
Achane would fall just under 100 yards from his first-1,000-yard rushing season in 2024. He did, however, finish third as well as tied for second on the team in receptions (78) and touchdown catches (six), respectively.
Following Achane’s historic 2025 season, his extension remained one of the main priorities amid a regime change that brought in Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager and Jeff Hafley as head coach. Both consistently emphasized that the star running back would be a huge part of the offense in 2026 amid the uncertainty that the two sides would reach a deal.
“Achane is a very, very important piece of what we want to do moving forward,” Sullivan said. “He’s a building block for us. It is a priority for us to get a deal done for him in the coming weeks, months.”
Added Hafley: “He’s dynamic. I mean there are plays that you’re not even blocked right for, and he gets six or seven yards. His vision, his acceleration, the way he can catch the ball out of the backfield, he’s so hard to defend.”
Although Achane would skip the first day of the offseason training program, he was seen the following week amid contract talks, a positive sign considering no deal had been made.
With Achane now officially back in the aqua and orange, expect him to remain the driving force of an offense that not only had a lot of turnover in the offseason but lost major weapons at receiver. Miami’s addition of Malik Willis, however, could help open up some rushing lanes for Achane in that opposing defensive coordinators will always have to account for the quarterback’s mobility.
“The threat of it makes it 11 versus 11, as opposed to 11 on 10,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said of Willis’ athleticism. “That’s what can get tough sometimes when you get a guy that maybe isn’t as mobile at quarterback is, they have eleven guys and aside from throwing the ball, you’re really playing with ten. So it just lets you equalize some advantageous situations.”
For Sullivan, whose extension of Achane marks the first of a trio critical re-signings, attention now shifts to linebacker Jordyn Brooks and center Aaron Brewer, both of whom want more money after having All-Pro seasons in 2025.
“They know where they stand,” Sullivan said in the days ahead of the NFL Draft, an important hurdle of the offseason that he wanted to pass before handing extensions. “We’ve had conversations. They know how important they are to this team and where we are with them. The timing of that’ll work itself out. “
This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 7:56 PM.
