Report: ‘A lot of trade chatter’ surrounding Dolphins’ Xavien Howard
The posturing between the Miami Dolphins and cornerback Xavien Howard continues onward as the calendar rapidly accelerates towards the end of the month, at which time we’ll see the opening of NFL training camps across the league. Miami, who has four years of contractual control of Howard’s services on the gridiron, isn’t necessarily in a rush to pay the 2020 All-Pro. But that’s exactly what Howard wants to see materialize and he’s shown, thanks to sitting out the team’s minicamp last month, that he’s willing to surrender cash in the short term to make it happen.
But part of Howard’s effort to get paid or push Miami to trade him to someone else who will is going to be rooted in finding a suitor willing to pay up not just for Howard’s re-worked deal but also pay up on the asking price Miami would look for in any deal to move him. And, according to NFL Network’s Michael Silver, the consideration of trading for Howard around the league is starting to heat up.
“There’s a lot of trade chatter concerning Dolphins All-Pro CB Xavien Howard, who led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2020 & is unhappy with his contract. Howard, who signed a five-year, $75.25-million extension two years ago, wants a new, improved deal in the wake of his stellar 2020 season. He’s not likely to get it from Miami. It would likely take at least a first-round pick (plus the willingness to pay up) to land him. There are several teams, all in win-now mode, pondering such a move. If no one steps up to meet Miami’s price, Howard (who skipped the offseason program) could try to force the issue by holding out of training camp. He could be fined $50,000 a day in that scenario. Stay tuned.” — Michael Silver, NFL Network
Having “several teams, all in win-now mode” all considering a move for Howard will certainly be helpful in facilitating a high offer for the Dolphins. But Miami must once again ask themselves if they really want to go down this road with their best player. The Dolphins have the financial flexibility to make things work — but then again they must be confident in Howard’s ability to live up to his contract in the next three or four seasons or else risk losing out on valuable spending power down the road. This won’t be an easy decision. But it is appearing as though it may ultimately be one the Dolphins may make sooner rather than later.
