First Cook, Now Taylor… Focus on the Jags!

We had the first half of the offseason filled with Cook to Phins, now it’s Taylor…

Yesterday, Johnathan Taylor was given the red light to seek a trade by the Indianapolis Colts, which immediately meant he was going to the Miami Dolphins, of course! This is now the new hot topic that’s getting wall-to-wall coverage just as the Dalvin Cook to the Dolphins story did. Both will end the same way, neither will end up a Phin.

Nope. No way. Not unless Chris Grier losses his mind and goes all, all, all in on the 2023 Season…

…and that would be madness.

Let me quickly count the ways why this is a none story.

Taylor to the Phins isn’t wise or likely

First, we could have had a quality runner in Dalvin Cook for less in draft compensation, less cap hit this season, and no long-term commitment. Cook received $8.6 million from the Jets and nearly half was incentive-based. With the tax situation, the Dolphins could have had him for less than that, so they must have really lowballed the offer. There’s a reason for that. The Dolphins are broke and have a ton of critical Free Agents they need to sign in the offseason.

Remember that Taylor is forcing his way off the Colts because he wants big money and a long-term contract. So, he has to accept the trade and the new team needs to meet his financial wants. Dolphins are currently at negative $32 million for the upcoming offseason with Wilkins, Williams, Hunt, and Sieler impending Free Agents. The next wave of high-priced FAs includes Tua, Waddle, Phillips, and Holland. That’s a ton of capital with little room to add a long-term contract to Taylor for around $10 million a year.

Some might say we can cut this guy or that guy. The Dolphins certainly can… but there are diminishing returns if they do it before June 1st where they’ll need the money the most. As an example:

If you look to cut Howard pre-June, it will give the Dolphins $3 million extra cash at the cost of $23 million in dead money. That would be a net negative $19 million! Ogbah will give Miami $13.8 million in a pre-June cut with $4 million in dead money for a total of $9 million. Even with the Ogbah cut, the Dolphins will still be short $23 million without signing one of their key Free Agents. The money is going to be tight even with the financial moves that are certainly coming. I’m just hoping we can keep 3 of the 4 key Phins FAs.

You can bet with the best pay-per-head that Chris Grier understands the Cap situation more than anyone. This is why he lowballed Cook and signed Devon Achane with a 3rd Round pick.

The Dolphins have Mostert, Wilson, Achane, and Ahmed for around $5 million. They’ve all shown that they can make plays and more importantly, it’s on the cheap. Forget about Taylor and focus on the Dolphins / Jaguars Preseason game because that will actually happen! Go Phins!!!