Howard Contract A Product of Cap Responsibility

Jimmy Bourbon

6 years ago

Chris Grier has Miami on course for real Cap Responsibility

It has been a loooonnng time since the Miami Dolphins have had Cap responsibility and been in a position of strength… instead of fiscal crisis.

‘Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul’ and the Phins have been synonymous for years.

The ‘old’ Dolphins wasted money and robbed their future by chasing other team’s free agents such as Mike Wallace, Dannell Ellerbe, Ndamukong Suh, and Karlos Dansby… just to name a few. As a result, the Dolphins continually put themselves in salary cap trouble and had little room to work with.

This approach forced Miami into a corner at times. more and more, decisions were not based on football… but because of lack of financial wiggle room. As an example, if Miami had more Cap space maybe Jarvis Landry, one of their best 2^nd Round picks in the last 25 years, could have been retained.

This offseason though Miami made amends and finally went all in on fiscal responsibility. The biggest achievement this offseason was cleaning their books and dumping bad contracts.

Sometimes the biggest move is no move at all

Currently, Miami has over $30 million in available Cap space. They now rank 5^th best in the league. This is a far cry from years upon years of being at the bottom of the league in available money. And looking ahead to 2020, the Dolphins are currently at $56 million in available cap space with the potential to have as much as $100 million plus. This will give Miami the option to resign their own players and some choice free agents that fit their scheme.

Despite talk of overpaying, Howard is the 6th highest paid CB

Locking up star CB Xavien Howard for the next 6 years was the first positive result of this Cap control. If Howard can continue to play at his 2018 level, then having a true lockdown CB in a pass-happy NFL will be worth every penny.

Also, since Miami was able to make this deal with Howard, if he has another Pro Bowl type year this year, then Miami will have extended him at a cheaper price than after this season. This ripple effect will create more Cap space in the future. This move also removes any chance of potential hold out, which would have been a PR disaster. Also, seeing Howard get paid is a nice carrot for the youngsters to ‘ball out’. Most of the best sportsbook providers like Ace Per Head, are applauding the Dolphins decision.

Cap responsibility won’t always strike fans as the right move though…

… But in the totality of moves it will be.

As Phinsnews wrote last year, the right philosophy doesn’t always end in the right results. Yet, over the long term, the positive results it creates will far outweigh the few negative outliers. This means moving on from a player a year too early rather than a year too late. It will also mean not paying through the nose for players they like rather than love.

Fans should be prepared to wave goodbye to players that Grier and Flores see better value in trading or receiving a compensatory pick than overpaying for. The Phins will ( and must ) be built through draft picks and bargain Free Agents. If a Miami player wants to be overpaid, then Chris Grier will let them get the money they want elsewhere. Phins fans must be prepared for this.

It is hard enough to strike gold in the NFL draft…

… but even more bothersome being forced to wave goodbye. Letting them go is one thing, but not having a choice in the matter is a whole other story.Cap control will give us the chance to keep our draft picks if they play up to their potential. Tunsil, Minkah, and Baker can now be retained as young cornerstones of our team… should they ask for responsible compensation.

What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans thoughts about the Dolphins current salary cap situation and what that means for years to come with this organization?

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