Watching Olivier Vernon walk away from Miami in 2016 was a tough pill to swallow. The former Miami Hurricane stepped into the Dolphins’ program and steadily developed for four seasons, culminating with a monster season in 2015. That year, which just so happened to be the last one on Vernon’s rookie contract, set up a big showdown with Miami and the rest of the league.
On one hand, a gifted defender against both the run and the pass, set to hit the market at the ripe age of 25-years old. In four seasons with Miami, he’d logged 29.0 sacks and was considered an ascending pass rusher.
On the other, Vernon was about to command monster money. Miami intended originally to have the right to match any contract, as they’d placed the transition tag on Vernon ahead of the 2016 free agency window. But, just a week later, Miami pulled the tag. There was no way they were willing to pay with the rest of the league was for Vernon’s second contract.
And now, after three seasons in New York, neither are his suitors from 2016, the Giants.
The Giants flipped Vernon and a fourth round pick to Cleveland for veteran offensive guard Kevin Zeitler and a fifth round pick yesterday, alleviating some of the stress stemming from the $19.5M cap hit they faced for Vernon in each of the next two years.
So while letting talented players go is always a challenge, it is important to understand their worth. Vernon, for all his virtues, was never going to produce at a level that commanded a $19.5M cap designation.
The Dolphins knew that in 2016, but the Giants seemingly just realized it.
