The Reshad Jones saga isn’t going to end anytime soon. After a tumultuous end to the 2018 NFL season, Jones has distanced himself from the Miami Dolphins, preferring to prep for the upcoming season on his own. That’s perfectly fine, considering the workouts to this point have been voluntary organized team activities and Jones hasn’t missed any actual obligations to date.
But the Dolphins and Jones have both been coy about their preferred resolution to a rift that seems to be growing further and further apart. The latest? Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins would, in fact, prefer to deal Jones. Why? Here’s what Jackson had to say:
Why are the Dolphins willing to trade (Jones)? Because of age (31) and salary and the determination he’s likely not a longterm piece. And though they would never admit this publicly, the Dolphins have told people that the new regime was very unhappy that Jones refused to go back in the Jets game last November after being told earlier in the week that he would not be playing every snap but instead used in a rotation.
Age, salary and a conflict in “win now” vs. “win later” are all notable hurdles and they put the Dolphins on the clock now that the calendar has flipped to June. Jones should be considered a depreciating asset — his age and shoulder issues will only further water down his potential trade value going forward.
With the team now free to roll some of Jones’ dead cap space through to the 2020 offseason, look for this story to build more and more momentum. The Dolphins have three options: bite the bullet and keep Jones for 2019, trade him as soon as possible and hope the return meets his value, or hold him until closer to the start of the season in hopes that a team gets desperate on account of an injury. Regardless, there are no easy answers here.
If the Dolphins were to expedite the process, what teams could be in play? You can read who some of the potential trade partners for Jones would be here.
