How Waddle, Phillips contracts figure into Tua, Wilkins deals with Miami Dolphins
INDIANAPOLIS — In his meeting with reporters at the NFL Combine, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier dropped an overlooked reason that sorting out the contractual situations of Tua Tagovailoa and Christian Wilkins aren’t as simple as everybody would like.
It’s not just the money the Dolphins would need to pay two of the most important players on the team.
It’s not just whether to tag Wilkins.
It is Jaylen Waddle. And Jaelan Phillips.
More: Dolphins GM Chris Grier on Xavien Howard's possible return, Tua talks, Waddle trade chatter
While Waddle and Phillips’ contracts aren’t on the verge of running out, they will someday — and someday is around the corner.
“We’re always looking short term and long term, in terms of having flexibility and how contacts are structured and stuff,” Grier said.
Miami Dolphins have ‘five or six' in line for extensions
So while it’s understandable that the most pressing matters involve Tagovailoa and Wilkins, the Dolphins’ salary capologists, Brandon Shore (senior vice president of football & business administration) and Max Napolitano (director of football administration and strategy), aren’t operating in a vacuum. That’s why Grier dropped news regarding how the organization is approaching this offseason.
“For us moving forward, we have had a lot of good young players come up too like Jaylen Waddle and Phillips,” Grier said. “We have five or six guys too that we’re talking to that are going to be candidates for possible extensions.”
The Dolphins can easily buy time with Waddle and Phillips because they were first-round picks in 2021. All the club has to do is pick up their fifth-year options. Waddle would collect $15.5 million in that final year of his rookie deal, 2025, while Phillips would get $13.2 million.
Of course, Grier, Shore and Napolitano could all sleep easier by locking them up with a long-term extension, which is why they’re looking at the big picture now.
Jevon Holland's situation is trickier
Not as simple is safety Jevon Holland. Because he was drafted in the second round in 2021, the fifth-year option safety net isn’t available to the club. Holland is due to collect $3.4 million next season before being eligible for free agency. Surely, he’ll be looking for a sizable bump in pay.
Another contract that will be up after the 2024 season is cornerback Kader Kohou’s, but he’ll then be a restricted free agent, so the Dolphins could match outside offers. Plus, running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson will be unrestricted free agents.
The Dolphins gained breathing room amid all this when the NFL set the 2024 salary cap last week at $255.4 million, significantly higher than the $240 million-range that had been expected. For a club that at one point was thought to be $52 million over the cap, it came as a pleasant surprise.
“Brandon Shore and Max Napolitano do a really good job of kind of forecasting what it would be over the last few years,” Grier said. “We didn’t have it that high.”
Before anyone pictures Grier whipping out Stephen Ross’ checkbook in free agency, remember that the club has already added Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey and Bradley Chubb in recent years.
“Every year you can’t go and make those moves that people get excited for,” Grier said. “You’ve seen it around the league that it’s not sustainable. At some point you have to reel it back a little bit and add some youth and influx, and then cherry pick here and there. We’ve been looking at all different ways in terms of building this thing and keeping our roster competitive.”
You can’t beat shrewd drafting, in other words. The Dolphins did that with Phillips and Waddle, but eventually, even that bill comes due.
And no, there is nothing to the chatter triggered when analyst Mike Tannenbaum went on TV and proposed the Dolphins trade Waddle for help in the secondary. The mere idea was enough to make Grier chuckle.
“No, as I said in the middle of the season, I have no thoughts of trading Jaylen Waddle,” Grier said. “We want him here for a long time, and we think he’s a big part of our now and our future here.”
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Waddle, Phillips deals join Tua, Wilkins on Miami Dolphins' to-do list
