The Miami Dolphins’ 2020 offseason isn’t off the start we necessarily thought it would be. The team came out hard and fast in free agency, agreeing to several key deals that should position Miami to be competitive sooner rather than later — and be more flexible in next month’s NFL Draft. But the aggressive spending has had some fans questioning if the Dolphins have learned anything from the error of their old habits — this team has “won” free agency before and it has often times burned them.
The answer, as we get more details on the contracts that have been signed, continues to point to “yes”. The Dolphins are spending, but they aren’t spending in the way they have in years past.
Use DE Shaq Lawson’s contract as a primary example. Lawson signed a 3-year, $30M contract with Miami. The Dolphins gave Lawson $21M in guarantees, too. But all of that guaranteed cash sits inside of the first two years of Lawson’s deal, so this is effectively a 2-year, $21M contract with a club option for a 3rd season for $9M. If the Dolphins don’t get sufficient play from Lawson in the first two seasons, they can cut him and owe almost no penalty against the 2022 salary cap.
The same can be said for Ereck Flowers, whose 3-year, $30M contract is effectively a 2-year, $19.95M contract with a 3rd year that is an unofficial club option and worth $10M.
Byron Jones’ record setting contract? The Dolphins will pay him in excess of $54M in the first three seasons — and then are only on the hook for $6M in guaranteed cash over the final two seasons, which leaves them plenty of flexibility to pivot out of a contract that may go sour. That’s the new normal here in Miami. And that should be applauded, as it is a much better way of doing business than restructuring contracts and kicking the can down the road for cap restrictions.
