Time to Lock up more Players?

Jimmy Bourbon

10 years ago

The Dolphins recently just locked up two of their top-performing team leaders, Ryan Tannehill and Mike Pouncey, by being very professional, loyal, and efficient in terms of cost. Both players were still playing on Rookie contracts, however, the organization felt that they have both played well enough to deserve a new long-term deal, and in both situations, Miami opted to get these deals done before they had a chance to hit the open market.

Also, Miami is hoping that both players will continue to improve, which will mean that by signing them now, they will probably save some money instead of having to pay even more if both players have a standout 2015 season, which the organization is counting on. Obviously, both players could regress, now that they got their big-time payday, but the organization is displaying faith that these two players will continue to get better, and will be the leaders of this team for the rest of this decade.

Re-signing productive players on the team before their contracts are up, it also shows the rest of the players on the team that here in Miami you will get rewarded if you produce. It’s a bit more humane than what a team like the Patriots do, where they do not negotiate new contracts until the initial contract is up, regardless of how well a player has played. The Dolphins are showing their players that they can get rewarded before their contracts are up, which is a nice incentive for young players to want to over-achieve. Two young players that the Dolphins should also be interested in rewarding with new contracts before their Rookie contracts are up are Olivier Vernon and Lamar Miller.

For starters, I would put Vernon first in regards to the importance to the organization of securing a long term contract. Vernon has really turned it on the last two seasons and has provided a steady one-two punch along the perimeter of the defensive line with Cameron Wake. In 3 seasons with the Dolphins Vernon has tallied 102 tackles and 21.5 sacks. (That sack number is clearly the number that jumps out, and will be the driving force behind a formidable contract.) Those kinds of sack numbers, combined with another productive season, (which is forecasted, especially with Suh taking away some of the double teams along the line) can easily be worth anywhere from $8-$10 million per season on the open market.

In addition, Wake is getting up there in age, so if Miami does not re-sign Vernon they will have two holes to fill at the all-important defensive end position, and in a passing league, a team can never have enough productive pass rushers. Both the team and Vernon are open to signing an extension, and most of the boys at the local pay per head reviews will say now that Tannehill’s contract is taken care of, Vernon should now be the highest priority in regards to having his contract extended on the team. I like Vernon a lot and he is a homegrown talent from Miami, and played football at the University of Miami, so it would be nice to keep him in Miami for another 3-6 years.

Miller is another home-grown talent from Miami and played college football with the Hurricanes and it would be nice to keep him around for a few more years. He had a break out year last season running for over 1,000 yards, and added a total of 9 touchdowns on the ground and through the air. In regards to Miller, I would say it would be better to wait at least one more season, considering last year was really the first year that he was valuable to the team, and put up starting running back numbers. For me, he would have to perform at that level for another season, before I would commit more serious money to him. Also, he plays a position where talent is usually easier to find than at the Defensive End and QB position, so it is not as much of a need assigning a player to a long term deal, like Vernon or Tannehill.

What does the rest of the Miami Dolphins fans think about trying to re-sign Vernon and Miller before their contracts are up, and are there any other players that you guys think would fall into this category?

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