The Miami Dolphins have signed linebacker Kiko Alonso to a three-year extension, extending the stay of the team's lone Hispanic player.
According to a league source, Alonso, who initially received a first-round tender worth $3.8 million as a restricted free agent, will receive a $28.8 million contract, which guarantees him $18.5 million over the next two seasons.
That's a substantial raise for the son of a Cuban immigrant, who has grown to love South Florida.
The Dolphins got the extension for Alonso done on Tuesday while hosting fellow inside linebacker Zach Brown on a free agent visit. Brown didn't sign a deal with Miami as of Tuesday evening, and is headed back to Buffalo to continue his free agent tours.
Miami has not ruled out signing Brown, who could potentially replace Koa Misi as the team's starting strong side linebacker.
Alonso led the Dolphins with 115 tackles during the regular season, and also contributed two interceptions and recovered four fumbles.
However, it is possible that he'll be asked to play weakside linebacker in 2017 because veteran inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons was signed to a two-year, $12 million deal, and his presence on the inside could help Miami's defense improve against the run.
The Dolphins lost starting weakside linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who signed a free agent deal with the Oakland Raiders on Monday. That leaves at least one starting spot open.
Last year the Dolphins finished 30th against the run, allowing 140 rushing yards per game.
Alonso, who played the last month of the 2016 season with a case on his hand, is one of the few free agent linebackers to land a respectable multi-year contract this offseason.
A comparable multiyear deal for Alonso is the four-year, $32 million deal the Denver Broncos gave linebacker Brandon Marshall last offseason when he was a restricted free agent.
Marshall received $20 million in guaranteed money and had an average annual salary of $8 million. Alonso didn't get the same amount of guaranteed money, but his average salary appears to be higher.
Alonso was the key to the trade that brought him and cornerback Byron Maxwell to Miami in exchange for a swap of first-round picks with Philadelphia last offseason. The Dolphins had been searching for a productive inside linebacker since 2013. That trade is viewed as one of vice president Mike Tannenbaum's best transactions in his three-year run as the Dolphins' top decision maker because it produced three starters in Alonso, Maxwell and offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, whom the Dolphins selected 13th overall in the 2016 draft using the pick the Eagles sent Miami.
Alonso's production in the NFL is significant, as the percentage of Hispanics in the league has been estimated at less than 1 percent. He's the third player of Hispanic descent on the team this decade, joining former receivers Greg Camarillo and Roberto Wallace.
The Dolphins have made it a priority this offseason to take care of their own players, and have done so extending Alonso and safety Reshad Jones' contracts, and re-signing receiver Kenny Stills and defensive end Andre Branch, two starters from last season.
