It’s not easy to pay top money to a quarterback while remaining as one of the top spenders everywhere else on the roster. The Miami Dolphins spent a lot over the last few years while Tua Tagovailoa was on his rookie deal.
After keeping up with the approach for a year, it’s time to pump the brakes. Last year, Tua’s cap hit was $9.526 million. This year, it goes to $39.181 million, and it jumps again to $56.4 million in 2026.
And that’s one of the reasons why the Dolphins have had a calculated approach in free agency so far. Instead of adding top players at their positions, the Dolphins went with several bargains, trying to catch lightning in a bottle with low-cost additions in higher volume.
In 2025, the Dolphins still have $18.577 million in cap space. Things start to get a little more complicated next year, with $10.328 million in projected cap space, which is the fourth least in the entire NFL, and that’s with only 39 players signed.
It was time for some sort of reset, and the Dolphins slowly but firmly started it.
This offseason, the Dolphins spent only $59.358 million, the cheapest offseason in the league and only one of two teams below $85 million in new cash spending. The other one is the San Francisco 49ers, who purposefully entered a reset mode before paying Brock Purdy.
That’s why the Dolphins didn’t extend some of their top free agents, like safety Jevon Holland and guard Robert Jones.
Players moving on:
- S Jevon Holland
- G Robert Jones
- TE Durham Smythe
- DE Da’shawn Hand
- RB Raheem Mostert
- WR Brexton Berrios
- TE Jack Stoll
- S Siran Neal
- LB Anthony Walker Jr.
On the other hand, the Dolphins had an approach that reminded us of what Howie Roseman tends to do with the Philadelphia Eagles. The team added several underpriced players. Some certainly won’t work, but if some do, the benefit will be real on the field during the 2025 season, and next year if they move on to new teams and generate future compensatory picks.
External additions (average per year)
- G James Daniels ($8 million)
- QB Zach Wilson ($6 million)
- LB Tyrel Dodson ($3.125 million)
- CB Ifeatu Melifonwu ($3.01 million)
- WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ($2.995 million)
- S Ashtyn Davis ($2.5 million)
- T Larry Borom ($2.5 million)
- CB Artie Burns (not available)
- RB Alexander Mattison (not available)
- TE Pharaoh Brown (not available)
- LB Willie Gay Jr. (not available)
- P Ryan Stonehouse (not available)
- LB K.J. Britt (not available)
It’s a new moment for the Dolphins as they try to build a more sustainable roster, since the older version clearly hit a ceiling. Draft picks will be key in that process, and that’s why there is an aligned effort to have so many of them—11 total, including two fourths, two fifths, and four sevenths. Ultimately, the result of those picks will define how far this team can go under this leadership group.
