Why Dolphins LB Jordyn Brooks has shown up despite contract situation
When a reporter used the word “if” to describe whether Jordyn Brooks would be here come Week 1, Joe Barry looked puzzled.
The Miami Dolphins run game coordinator couldn’t quite understand why the star linebacker wouldn’t be here as if the latter wasn’t in the midst of a contract dispute. That’s because Brooks, in spite of whatever’s going on off the field, has been tasked with leading a team that’s in the midst of a huge transition. Ultimately, that means showing up to work.
“I need to get better as a player so that’s why I show up,” Brooks said Tuesday. “Obviously, I never want to send the wrong message to the team or to my teammates. I play with these guys. Go to battle with them. I want them to know that I’m here no matter what [and that I’m] playing the game for the right reasons.”
One year removed from the best season of his career, Brooks now must balance his day job — i.e. setting the standard for the Dolphins — with that of his compensation. Although he’s in the final year of the three-year, $27.2 million contract he signed in 2024, the former Texas Tech standout has no guaranteed money left. Throw in the fact that players such as the Houston Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair and the Washington Commanders’ Sonny Styles have reset the market, and it’s no wonder Brooks wants a raise.
And despite the new regime’s pledges to do so, it’s not official until Brooks’ name is on that dotted line.
“I don’t know,” Brooks said when asked his comfort level that the team will get the deal done. “It could go either way, obviously. I’m just controlling what I can control — play football. I’m blessed to do it. So I’m just going to keep approaching it that way.”
His approach has already garnered praise from coach Jeff Hafley.
“Great leader, loves football, works really, really hard,” Hafley said Tuesday. “He’s made the right way. I’ve really enjoyed him. You see the film, you see the type of player that he is; but once you get to know him you kind of understand why. I think his work ethic is elite and he loves football. He absolutely loves the game and he wants to meet. He wants to go over stuff. He wants to learn. He’s a fun guy to coach.”
Brooks received his first All-Pro honor following a 2025 season in which he led the league in both total (183) and solo (99) tackles. He also added 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Despite a coach and general manager change, Brooks remained one of a trio of players that included running back De’Von Achane and center Aaron Brewer as building blocks for the new regime.
“I want Jordyn to be part of this,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said during the NFL owners meeting in late March. “He’s made of the right kind of stuff. We want him to be a pillar on the defensive side of this as we build this thing out.”
Part of what makes Brooks the right person for this cultural reset is his growth as a leader. When arrived in Miami ahead of the 2024 season, he wasn’t the most vocal person. The departure of team leaders ahead of the 2025 season required Brooks to step up, a call that he answered.
That growth, however, is far from over.
“It’s always a new challenge,” Brooks said. “With there being a lot of young guys and then just guys who haven’t had a lot of playtime in the league, that’s a lot more challenging on my plate as afar as being an example to those guys each and every day.”
Added Brooks: “It’s hard to do that every day. Some days you might come in tired. Some days you might not feel like making that extra effort. But for the sake of the guys around us watching, I think that challenges me more to take it up a level.”
