Executing a multiple-player trade in the NFL is rare because of all the moving parts, and it appears that the Dolphins have backed off their pursuit to acquire tight end Julius Thomas from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a deal for left tackle Branden Albert.
Instead of a player-for-player swap, which had been discussed, sources say the Dolphins will get a late-round draft pick in exchange for Albert, who visited Jacksonville on Monday to finalize terms of a new contract. The deal can't become official until the start of the new league year on March 9.
The sticking point with Thomas, according to a source, was the Dolphins' desire for him to restructure what remains on the five-year, $46 million contract he signed with the Jaguars in 2014.
Thomas is guaranteed $3 million of his $7.1 million salary for this upcoming season, which includes a $100,000 workout bonus. He's slated to make $8.6 million in 2018 and $9 million in 2019, and the Dolphins wanted to rework those numbers if they were to trade for him.
On Monday the sides reached an impasse, and Thomas was taken out of the Albert deal as Miami accepted a late-round pick for a player they had planned to release last week.
The Dolphins could potentially still have interest in Thomas, 29, who thrived while playing for coach Adam Gase in 2013 and 2014, when Gase was the Denver Broncos' offensive coordinator.
Trade talks could be revisited at the NFL scouting combine, which begins next week, but it is possible that Thomas is out of the Dolphins' price range.
Tight end is a glaring need for the Dolphins, considering Jordan Cameron, who missed most of last season with a concussion, and Dion Sims, who is viewed as primarily a blocking tight end, are both free agents.
The free-agent market features a couple of solid options in Martellus Bennett (who played for Gase in 2015 during Gase's one season as Chicago's offensive coordinator), Jared Cook (who had a resurgent 2016 season in Green Bay) and Jack Doyle (who had a breakout season for Indianapolis). It is also possible that the Dolphins could re-sign Cameron or Sims.
The 2017 draft class is filled with promising tight ends, including Alabama's O.J. Howard, Miami's David Njoku, Ole Miss' Evan Engram, Virginia Tech's Bucky Hodges, South Alabama's Gerald Everett and Michigan's Jake Butt, who are all projected as top-100 prospects.
However, the Dolphins would likely need to use an early selection to land one of the upper-echelon tight ends in the April 27-29 draft.
The Dolphins will clear $7.2 million in salary cap space once Albert's trade to Jacksonville is finalized, giving them roughly $50 million available. Albert told the Sun Sentinel he's a willing participant in the trade and that his new deal is going to "surprise people when it comes out."
Laremy Tunsil is expected to shift over to left tackle to replace Albert, and the Dolphins will need to fill two starting offensive guard spots.
