Dolphins Restructured Aaron Brewer, De’Von Achane Deals For Waddle Trade

The Dolphins’ decision to part ways with Tua Tagovailoa this offseason put them in a tight cap situation due to the $99.2MM in dead money it left on their books.

Trading Jaylen Waddle stretched their budget even further, as the pre-June 1 move accelerated his remaining bonus prorations onto this year’s salary cap. That created $26.5MM in dead money in 2026, higher than his originally-scheduled cap hit of $11.8MM, which would have put Miami over the 2026 limit once the trade was processed.

To clear the requisite space, the Dolphins restructured the contracts of center Aaron Brewer and running back De’Von Achane, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. For Brewer, this meant a conversion of $5.25MM of his 2026 salary to a signing bonus, reducing his salary to the veteran minimum and his cap hit by $4.2MM to $4.95MM (via OverTheCap). This is the last year of Brewer’s contract with three void years already present, so one more was added to maximize the savings of the move, according to KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. While technically this increases his cap hit in each of the next four seasons by $1.05MM, those charges will all accelerate onto the Dolphins’ 2027 cap when Brewer’s deal voids next February, leaving $4.2MM in dead money. An extension before the void date will prevent that acceleration.

Achane’s salary – originally boosted to $5.77MM as a result of the Proven Performance Escalator – was also reduced to the veteran minimum with $4.62MM converted to a signing bonus, per Wilson. Four void years were added to maximize the 2026 cap savings of the restructure, thereby creating the same amount of dead money for the 2027 season. An Achane extension, which could be negotiated in the coming months, would defer those charges.

The Dolphins will still need to clear more cap space to sign their rookie class and afford minor in-season expenses. Much of that relief will arrive on June 1, when the $20.2MM in savings from Bradley Chubb‘s release will be processed. The Dolphins will also receive a $3.08MM cap credit in 2027 for Waddle, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.

Miami’s new regime was clearly prepared for these cap gymnastics entering the offseason. They were able to sign a full free agent class – including quarterback Malik Willis, who signed the seventh-biggest contract in free agency – despite devoting more than half of their budget to players that are no longer on the team.

But moving Waddle was only worth it for the compensation they received from the Broncos. Miami established a first-round-plus valuation for their star wide receiver back at the 2025 trade deadline and stuck to it during negotiations this offseason. Denver was willing to add a third-rounder to their No. 30 selection, but only if a fourth-round pick swap was also part of the deal, per 9News’ Mike Klis.