Window opens for Dolphins to tag Christian Wilkins; here are top five in history to get away
It wasn’t just a cool front that arrived in South Florida on Tuesday but also the cold reality of the business side of the NFL.
Specifically, the Dolphins are now on the clock to decide what to do about the expiring contract of defensive tackle and team captain Christian Wilkins. Tuesday marked the first day teams can apply the franchise tag on pending free agents, which comes with a hefty price tag but also reduces the risk of losing the player. The deadline for applying the tag is March 5.
Tagging Wilkins would cost the Dolphins about $20.9 million guaranteed next season as estimated by overthecap.com. While it wouldn’t give Miami exclusive rights to him, it would give them the right to match any offer. If they decline, any team signing Wilkins would owe the Dolphins two first-round draft picks.
More: Miami Dolphins free agency: Top 5 players to prioritize
The Dolphins also could apply the tag, and then negotiate a trade to create salary cap relief, but the actual trade cannot go down until the player signs the deal. The last time such a scenario played out here was in 2018 when receiver Jarvis Landry was dealt to Cleveland.
The Dolphins also could opt for an exclusive-rights tag, but that’s even more expensive and presents more of a puzzle for general manager Chris Grier, whose team is about $52 million over the cap as it is.
Two of the wiser moves the Dolphins have made with the tag over the years allowed them to retain Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tim Bowens in 1998 and future Hall of Fame end Jason Taylor in 2001.
There are, however, instances when the Dolphins lost players in free agency who came back to bite them. Should they have found a way to tag the following five players? You decide:
1. Cornerback Troy Vincent
Vincent was the seventh overall pick by the Dolphins in 1992 and was showing signs of becoming a dominant corner when he left. He took his game to a higher level with the Eagles starting in 1996, making five consecutive Pro Bowls and being named All-Pro in 2002. Over eight seasons with the Eagles, Vincent had 28 interceptions and 10 forced fumbles. In 2002, he was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. Today, he’s an NFL vice president.
2. Receiver Irving Fryar
The Eagles clearly had it in for Miami in ’96 because they also plucked this Pro Bowl receiver off the Dolphins’ roster. Fryar went on to make two straight Pro Bowls with the Eagles via 1,195 yards and 11 TDs at age 34, followed by a career-best 1,316 yards and six TDs in ’97. He played five seasons after leaving Miami.
3. DE Marco Coleman
This former first-rounder was only 27 when he left for San Diego in 1996 (clearly a dark year for Miami because linebacker Bryan Cox also left). Coleman went on to play for five other NFL teams, making 123 starts and recording 41.5 sacks. He made the Pro Bowl for Washington in 2000 with 12 sacks.
4. Special teamer Larry Izzo
This undrafted linebacker never started an NFL game, but don’t let that fool you. He made three Pro Bowls with his special teams play, once with Miami in 2000 and then with New England in 2002 and ’04 before Matthew Slater, who announced his retirement Tuesday, came along for the Patriots. And who can forget that classic dig Izzo took at his buddy, Zach Thomas, by posing for a photo with his Super Bowl rings — on his middle finger?
5. DE Olivier Vernon
Vernon was a third-round pick out of Miami in 2012 who paid immediate dividends, piling up 11.5 sacks in his second season. But as his rookie contract ran out, the Dolphins took the frugal route, letting him walk to the Giants and later to Cleveland. Vernon made the Pro Bowl in New York in 2018 with seven sacks.
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal.
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins on the clock to decide whether to tag Christian Wilkins
