The Miami Dolphins made a number of moves this offseason, but the most recent was signing longtime New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead.
General manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel opted to bring in Morstead with Miami’s punter from 2021, Michael Palardy, still on the free agent market. That’s a decision that’s understandable, considering Palardy’s inconsistency in his lone season with the Dolphins.
Morstead, on the other hand, is the definition of consistency at the position. Despite moving on from New Orleans after 12 years, and splitting time with two of the worst teams in 2021 (the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons), he was still successful. He ranked seventh in the league in net average (42 yards per attempt).
The Dolphins gave Morstead a one-year deal worth roughly $1.27 million with $550,000 guaranteed. Those guarantees come from a $50,000 signing bonus and $500,000 of his $1.12 million base salary. Morstead also received $102,500 in per-game roster bonuses.
If Miami were to cut him before the season, they’d save just $497,500 while incurring $550,000 of dead cap space. So, it would likely only happen if he were truly beat out in a cap competition, which could still happen. However, it seems like they’ll ride into the season with the 36-year-old handling the same duties he’s handled since entering the league in 2009.
