Dolphins Plan To Restructure Ndamukong Suh’s Contract

THURSDAY, 8:47am: Having revisited the terms of Suh’s contract, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) reports that the language of the deal allows the Dolphins to restructure it without needing the defensive tackle’s approval. And the team intends to do just that at some point within the next few weeks, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

As noted below, Miami could create up to about $18MM in cap savings, though it’s not clear yet if the team will want to convert that much of Suh’s base salary into a signing bonus. Obviously, the more room the Dolphins create for 2016, the more money is added to future years of the contract.

TUESDAY, 8:12pm: Dolphins VP Mike Tannenbaum says the team hasn’t made any decision regarding the salary cap for 2016, but a restructuring of Ndamukong Suh‘s contract is a possibility, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. Suh signed a mammoth six-year, $114MM contract with the Dolphins in March of last year and, unsurprisingly, the Dolphins are feeling a bit hampered by that commitment. Ndamukong Suh (vertical)

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Suh, 29, is slated to carry a cap number of $28.6MM in 2016, a major step up from his Year 1 figure of $6.1MM. Miami could open up some space in the immediate future by restructuring, but that would also hurt the team in the long run, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets. If they’re willing to take that kind of hit down the road, the Dolphins could create up to $18MM in space for 2016.

Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked the former second overall pick among the NFL’s top four defensive tackles in every season from 2012 through 2014. By PFF’s count, Suh racked up 72 total quarterback pressures in 2013, well ahead of any other DT besides Gerald McCoy, and he generated 57 quarterback pressures in 2014, tops in the league among defensive tackles. In 2015, his first season with Miami, Suh started in all 16 regular season games, racking up 60 total tackles and 6.0 sacks. The Dolphins’ D (and offense, for that matter) got off to a rough start this past season and Suh did not record his first sack until Week 7 against the Texans.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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