If we would have told you that a New England Patriot would scorn the team to come play in Miami, you’d probably raise an eyebrow. But if we told you that a Patriot would not only turn his back on Foxborough in favor of South Florida but also take less money in the process, you’d probably think we were crazy. We’re not. And, hear us out, neither is Ted Karras — one of Miami’s verbally agreed free agents.
Karras is the man, according to Adam Beasley and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, who took less money from the Dolphins to play in Miami despite overtures from Bill Belichick and New England to return to the team for another go in 2020.
“Karras can expect to play plenty after picking the Dolphins over the Patriots — who actually offered more money than Miami, a source tells the Herald,” wrote Beasley and Jackson.
“The Patriots wanted him back but he didn’t know with certainty that he would remain a starter there. With Miami, he’s very likely to be the Dolphins’ starting center. He took the one-year, prove-it type deal, hoping to parlay it into a more lucrative contract in 2021.”
It’s a pretty admirable course to take — Karras is betting on himself to make the most of his opportunity and secure his status as a viable starter. The icing on the cake is that, of course, he spurned the Patriots along the way. New England will be fine on the interior offensive line, by the way. The team has Joe Thuney on the franchise tag, Shaq Mason and David Andrews is expected to be returning from health issues that plagued him in 2019.
But now, the Dolphins are also trending towards “fine” on the offensive interior. The job isn’t done yet, but Karras and fellow incoming Dolphin Ereck Flowers give Miami two new viable starters up front. They’ll need to continue to attack depth — but Miami’s assertive approach has netted several upgrades up front already.
