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The presence of Xavien Howard is the best news the Phins could get
The Miami Dolphins 2021 Season has kicked off with the best news possible: Xavien Howard was present at Training Camp. This was a major hurdle for this team. Over the past month, news of Howard’s desire for another new contract and possible trade has been front and center…
… And a real drag on all the hope many Phins have for this year because Howard is the most important player on this roster. Bookie Management Guide.
Howard at Training Camp is HUGE news!
The Dolphins have just about all the leverage with Howard, but that didn’t mean things couldn’t have become ugly. Howard, on a newly reconstructed contract, stood to lose 50k a day if he didn’t show, which isn’t the best idea for someone that is actually looking to get paid more. Given Howard is set to make 13.5 million for 2021 that’s a pretty penny to lose out on.
The main gripe was that after a 10 interception season, Howard felt he had outplayed his current contract and wasn’t even the highest paid corner on the team. Byron Jones is getting paid 16.4 million this season.
I understand that the NFL is more than a game… it’s a cutthroat business. However, just look at Tom Brady to see that when star takes a minor haircut on their salaries they allow their team more cap space to add more talent. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny Brady cares more about winning Super Bowls than get every last red cent!
Dolphins and the Super Bowl?!
Sure, Miami isn’t a single player away from winning a Super Bowl, but Howard’s behavior this offseason and even previous off-seasons show him to be a ‘me first player’. Miami extended Howard to the tune of a top-paid corner and stuck by him through offseason trouble, so you can bet with the sportsbook pay per head sites have showed him plenty of love.
Now, to be truthful, this isn’t always the case with this regime. But, Howard has always been treated special.
I would love to have Howard play in Miami this year… and in the future. However, while it’s a good sign Howard showed up to Miami’s Training Camp, this doesn’t there be any fireworks in their relationship going forward. Howard had to show or it would have cost him a ton of money. Hopefully, he’ll play the good soldier and at least let this season play out. This offseason Miami can either renegotiate or part ways and I’d feel good about however it went.
The other option that is still available is finding a trading partner. There has been some reported interest in the New Orleans Saints getting center stage. But, whoever is going to be interested has to be prepared to give up a first-round pick and commit lots of money to Howard with a shiny new contract. Becoming a Bookie – Things to Consider When Making the Decision to Become a Bookie.
Howard is critical in keeping pressure off Tua
Given how valuable Howard is to this year’s team, I don’t see Miami moving on from Howard. Without getting a quality corner in return, this defense would be severely hurt and could cripple the Phins’ success this season. Lacking a quality corner opposite Byron Jones, the offense would need to be even more explosive. This might put too much burden on Tua, who is key to the Phins’ long-term success. Sportsbook Business Basics – Why High Limits Are Important in a Sportsbook Business?
It will be interesting to see how this soap opera plays out, but it’s great news that it started out on the right foot!
Jimmy,
Good article. However, we just learned that after the very first day of training camp practice, Howard has asked to be traded! To be honest, I called this about a month or so back. I was speaking with my brother and we talked about how it was going to go with Howard. I said that the two sides are far apart and that Howard would show up to avoid the $50k fine each day, but in short order, he would request a trade. I told MJ a while back that this guy was going to be a problem and we needed to trade him for a 1st round pick while his stock is high! Howard had a great year last year, but he has missed two of the last three seasons due to his bad knees. Not to mention the domestic assault and battery charge which his girlfriend then dropped the charges, and you can see why the team has no interest at this time give him a new contract on top of the existing contract which is only two seasons old! These athletes are “prima donnas” plain and simple. The team needs to decide what they want to do wigh Gesecki and Ogbah. They are both healthier and more reliable than Howard. Don’t get me wrong, I would like to see Howard stay, but it is very risky paying this guy a good deal more money with bad knees and bad character! I say get the first round pick and move on. He will get with another team and in short order, be unhappy there with his contract, or get injured and miss the season again. The Saints offered a first round pick. However, this is not great because, even though they are NFC, and will be without Drew Brees, the Saints can still be a very good team. So a low to mid 20’s draft pick for Howard is too high. Other teams like Cleveland, Arizona, Philadelphia offered a 2nd round pick plus a player. Again, this is not ideal either. We need a first round pick from a top 10 team picking, or in the mid-teens. I think the Dolphins are trying to keep him at bay for now hoping a team has a significant injury to one of its starting CB’s and thus will be more desperate to negotiate with the Dolphins for Howard. However, like I said, I have been an NFL fan for a long time and I saw this coming from far off! What are your thoughts?
Yeah, I took my sweet time editing it and a little while later the trade demand came out. And now, Xavien is hurt with a minor injury… to be truthful, I don’t know if I can trust Howard to be honest and not use whatever to get “paid” and be a pain in the arse. Miami will have a ton of trouble if they don’t get a quality corner in return this year. The defense will shrink… and as Jimmy said, it will put even more pressure on Tua. Even if the injury is legit, shows you this guy isn’t someone you can depend on. I can’t speak for Jimmy, but for me, the Phins should move on from this turd. He has shown so much lack of character that I can’t trust him not to fake or exaggerate and injury. Sad. What a great talent…