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Miami Dolphins News & Rumors

Dolphins S Minkah Fitzpatrick Hires New Agent

July 26th, 2025 at 6:43pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is hiring a new agent shortly after his trade back to Miami, a potential indicator that he will be seeking a new contract from the Dolphins.

Fitzpatrick hired Drew Rosenhaus, according to the Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly, who represents several high-profile NFL players including two of Fitzpatrick’s new teammates: Tyreek Hill and Zach Sieler. The Dolphins seem to have quelled the dissatisfaction Hill expressed at the end of last season, while Sieler is seeking a raise after posting his second double-digit sack season in a row. Fitzpatrick was previously represented by Joe Segal of WME Sports.

The seven-year veteran had two years and a non-guaranteed $33.1MM remaining on his contract when he was traded to the Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith, per OverTheCap. After seeing the Steelers sign Ramsey and Smith to new contracts after the deal went through, Fitzpatrick may be expecting the same treatment from the team that drafted him in the first round in 2018.

While he can be confident that he will earn his $15.5MM salary this year after Miami moved to acquire him at the end of June, Fitzpatrick would prefer to add guarantees to his $17.5MM salary in 2026, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. He may also be looking to take advantage of a safety market that eclipsed $21MM per year since he signed for a $18.25MM AAV in 2022. The 28-year-old will likely see the next two years as his last chance to sign a multi-year deal for a premium price.

Contract talks may not take place right away as the Dolphins will want to ensure that Fitzpatrick can fit back into their defense. Fitzpatrick’s play also appeared to take a step back in 2023 and 2024 compared to his three All-Pro seasons between 2019 and 2022, so his performance this year will be crucial to setting his market.

However, Miami is just as thin at safety as they are at cornerback. Their other projected starter is former Jet Ashtyn Davis, who has never started more than 10 games in a season with just six starts over the last two years. Behind Fitzpatrick and Davis are recent Day 3 draftees Patrick McMorris and Dante Trader, as well as a few undrafted free agents. Given the Dolphins’ lack of safety talent and use of resources to acquire Fitzpatrick this offseason, it’s hard to imagine that they don’t see him as a multi-year investment and will likely have to engage in negotiations as a result.

NFL Minor Transactions: 7/24/25

July 24th, 2025 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: G Michael Jordan, OL Tyler McLellan
  • Waived/injured: OL Silas Dzansi
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: OT Garret Greenfield

Washington Commanders

Following rumblings yesterday that Artie Burns may have suffered a season-ending injury, the bad news was confirmed today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Dolphins cornerback indeed suffered a torn ACL. It’s a tough break for the veteran, who’s looking to revive his NFL career after being limited to only four games with the Seahawks last season. The Dolphins were quick to sign a replacement, as Miami signed Cornell Armstrong. A former sixth-round pick by the Dolphins, Armstrong last appeared in an NFL game in 2022, when he started four of his nine games for the Falcons.

The Buccaneers did some shuffling on their offensive line today. In comes a pair of lineman: Michael Jordan, who started 11 games for the Patriots last season, and Tyler McLellan, a six-foot-eight, 355-pound lineman out of Campbell. Garret Greenfield, a UDFA in the 2024 draft, has apparently decided to hang up his cleats, and the team also moved on from Silas Dzansi with an injury designation.

The Commanders were looking ahead to 2026 today, as the team added an extra year to Percy Butler‘s contract. The former fourth-round pick has had some run in the starting lineup, including a 2023 season where he started 13 games while compiling 64 tackles and eight passes defended. He started five of 17 games in 2024 while establishing himself as one of Washington’s special teams aces.

WR Notes: Godwin, Rice, Hill, 49ers

July 23rd, 2025 at 5:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Godwin missed the final 11 games of the Buccaneers‘ season, counting their wild-card loss, but still commanded a high-end free agency deal. Given a three-year contract worth $66MM, Godwin turned down at least one more lucrative offer (from the Patriots) to stay in Tampa. But his return from a dislocated ankle will not commence in earnest for a bit. Tampa Bay placed Godwin on its active/PUP list to open training camp, doing so after the veteran wide receiver did not participate in any OTAs or minicamp work. Godwin needed a second procedure on his ankle, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.

While Laine classifies this operation as minor, Godwin’s status bears monitoring. Todd Bowles did not confirm the wideout would be available for the Bucs’ opener, saying he was hopeful the longtime Mike Evans sidekick would be ready. The Bucs are loaded at receiver, drafting Emeka Egbuka in Round 1 following 2024 third-rounder Jalen McMillan‘s eight-touchdown rookie season, but this will be a storyline to follow during training camp. Tristan Wirfs is already expected to miss early-season time because of arthroscopic knee surgery. Godwin’s second surgery costing him regular-season time would be a tough break for the four-time reigning NFC South champs, but they have been patient with the former third-round pick’s injuries before. Though, Godwin did make it back by Week 1 of the 2022 season despite suffering a ACL and MCL tears in December 2021.

Here is the latest news around the 32 receiver situations:

  • Rashee Rice received a 30-day jail sentence stemming from his involvement in a hit-and-run sequence, but the embattled Chiefs wideout may not end up serving any time due to deferred adjudication. Completing the probationary process would allow Rice to avoid the prison stint. Rice is also practicing fully with the Chiefs to open training camp (via The Athletic’s Jenna West), avoiding the active/PUP list after missing most of last season with an LCL tear. With a Rice legal resolution emerging, a suspension should be expected in 2025. The 30-day sentence aside, the Chiefs do not have to act here. The organization has dealt with many high-profile instances involving off-field trouble, including a few at receiver, over the past several years. No team-imposed ban should be expected, as an expected NFL suspension will cover the discipline.
  • One of the previous players embroiled in off-field controversies in Kansas City, Tyreek Hill is now in Year 4 in Miami. Like Rice, the Dolphins talent is full go at training camp, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe tweets. Hill, who underwent wrist surgery this offseason, avoided a PUP placement and will work toward recapturing his Hall of Fame-level form of 2022 and ’23. He is coming off a down 2024, a season that featured him battle ailments in both wrists. A training camp return has been expected, and the 10th-year vet is on schedule. Hill was a partial offseason participant, but camp represents his first chance to catch passes since the offseason surgery.
  • Before signing Equanimeous St. Brown, the 49ers auditioned veteran kick returner Brandon Powell, Wilson adds. The 5-foot-8 performer operated as the Rams and Vikings’ primary kick returners in recent years. He has been a regular kick returner throughout the 2020s. Powell spent the past two seasons with the Vikings, following Kevin O’Connell to Minnesota. He worked as the Vikes’ primary kick returner in that span.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/25

July 22nd, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

With training camps kicking off around the NFL, teams continue to make adjustments to their rosters. Here are today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: DT Dante Barnett
  • Placed on active/NFI: RB Zack Moss

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: K Mark McNamee

Houston Texans

  • Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: OT Savion Washington

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Waived: OT Obinna Eze

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Dolphins Discussing Deal With CB Rasul Douglas; Latest On DT Zach Sieler

July 21st, 2025 at 11:57am CST by Adam La Rose

Cornerback remains an area of need for the Dolphins at the onset of training camp. Rasul Douglas is still a clear target for the team on the free agent market.

Douglas has been linked to Miami on multiple occasions this offseason. The eight-year veteran would offer the Dolphins a starting-caliber option in the wake of Kendall Fuller‘s release and the long-awaited trade which ended Jalen Ramsey‘s tenure in South Beach. To no surprise, then, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports team and player remain in active contract discussions.

Douglas’ market has not seen many developments this offseason, one in which the Bills have moved forward without him. The 29-year-old does not anticipate a return to the Packers, but other suitors could see him as a worthwhile summer investment. Douglas and the Dolphins were not believed to be far apart in terms of finances earlier this month, so it would certainly be feasible for a deal to be struck soon.

Douglas has 80 starts to his name and he totaled 14 interceptions across the 2021, ’22 and ’23 seasons. The former third-rounder had a down year in Buffalo last season, something which will no doubt hurt his value on a new deal. The Dolphins are not in a position to afford a lucrative signing at the moment anyway, as they have roughly $2MM in cap space.

Another potential move to watch for regarding Miami is a potential Zach Sieler extension. The veteran defensive tackle is coming off his second straight 10-sack season and is thus a candidate for a raise on a new deal. Two years remain on Sieler’s contract with scheduled cap hits of $12.45MM and $14.75MM over that span. Regardless of what happens on the extension front, a training camp holdout will not take place in this case.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus said on Sunday (via Jackson) that Sieler will be in attendance for the start of training camp this week. When asked about participating in on-field work, he noted that will be a decision made internally amongst himself, Sieler and the Dolphins. Players angling for an extension often engage in a hold-in by attending training camp (and thus avoiding mandatory daily fines) but not taking part in practices until an agreement is reached.

A former seventh-round pick, Sieler has emerged as a vital member of the Dolphins’ defense during his time in Miami. The 29-year-old has seen his workload increase over each of the past four years, and he has operated as a full-time starter since 2022. In 2023, a $10.25MM-per-year extension was worked out; Sieler logged a full campaign in the first year after signing the pact and missed a pair of games last season. Durability should not be an issue during extension talks.

As the Ramsey situation illustrated in 2024, extending players early can wind up having negative effects (although his split with the team was based largely on a falling out with head coach Mike McDaniel). The Sieler situation could play out differently, of course, but it will be worth monitoring as the team explores at least one outside addition in the secondary.

AFC Staff Updates: Dolphins, Chargers, Chiefs

July 19th, 2025 at 5:53pm CST by Ely Allen

The Dolphins made a move on their offensive staff this week, promoting senior offensive assistant Chandler Henley to run game specialist, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.

A Yale graduate like his head coach, Henley initially worked in sales for IBM and Google. On the side, though, he worked as a part-time researcher for NBC’s Football Night in America. He first got into coaching at Vanderbilt, stating as an offensive/recruiting graduate assistant before getting promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach. He left for the tight ends coaching job at his alma mater, leaving again three years later for an opportunity in the NFL.

Henley joined the Titans in 2018 as a quality control coach working primarily with the offensive line. In 2021, he was hired as assistant offensive line coach of the Falcons, before joining the Dolphins the following year as assistant quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to his most recent position just last year and will serve under his third title in Miami for the 2025 season.

Here are a few other staff updates from around the AFC:

  • ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported yesterday that the Chargers have hired Chuka Ndulue as their new assistant defensive line coach. Ndulue spent the 2024 season as assistant coach and defensive line coach at Colorado State. A standout defensive lineman at Oklahoma, Ndulue signed as an undrafted free agent with the Broncos in 2015. His two years in the NFL as a player also saw him with the Chargers, but he never saw game time with either team. He returned to his alma mater in 2017 to volunteer as an assistant for the defensive line. The next year, he joined Nebraska as a graduate assistant for the defensive line and got his first full defensive line coaching job with FCS Southern Illinois in 2019. After three years with the Salukis, Ndulue coached the same position group at New Mexico State for two years before landing in Fort Collins. Now, he’ll head to Los Angeles to once again make the jump from collegiate football to the NFL, this time as a coach.
  • Finally, shifting from coaching staffs to front office, the Chiefs announced some new hires as the head into camp. In analytics, Sarah Pollack was named as a football data science fellow. In the scounting department, Curtis McGhee, Brayden Nagy, and Ryan O’Connor were named player personnel interns. Nagy is the son of the team’s offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy.

Dolphins Sign Second-Round OL Jonah Savaiinaea To Fully Guaranteed Rookie Deal

July 18th, 2025 at 4:29pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Dolphins have agreed to terms on a 100% fully guaranteed rookie contract with second-round offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The deal makes Savaiinaea the first No. 37 pick and the fifth second-round pick to receive a fully guaranteed contract in league history. He received significant increases over the guarantees of 2024 No. 37 pick Ja’Lynn Polk, who had 30% of his Year 4 salary and 84.7% of his total deal guaranteed, per OverTheCap. Savaiinaea received 15.3% more guaranteed money overall with a massive 70% increase in Year 4 guaranteed salary.

Savaiinaea did not report with the rest of the Miami’s rookie class on July 15 as one of several second-round picks holding out for fully guarantee rookie contracts after the Texans set new precedent with No. 34 pick Jayden Higgins. No. 35 pick Nick Emmanwori signed a fully guaranteed deal with the Seahawks on Thursday, giving Savaiinaea leverage to demand similar terms. Savaiinaea is also projected to replace Liam Eichenberg as the Dolphins’ starting right guard after they traded up for him in April’s draft, so it was important to get him on the field to build chemistry with his new teammates.

By giving in to Savaiinaea’s demands, the Dolphins will continue the domino effect of second-round pick signings. No. 39 pick Luther Burden signed a fully guaranteed contract with the Bears shortly after Savaiinaea put pen to paper, which should lock No. 38 pick TreVeyon Henderson into a similar deal with the Patriots. Saints rookie quarterback and No. 40 pick Tyler Shough should also be able to secure the fully guaranteed deal that he has been pursuing.

Normally, Savaiinaea’s signing would also ensure that the pick before him gets a fully guaranteed deal. However, No. 36 pick Quinshon Judkins remains unsigned as he faces a charge of misdemeanor battery after a domestic incident in Florida. The Browns are in no rush to sign him to his rookie deal, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, as the team wants their second-round pick’s focus to remain on his legal issues.

Savaiinaea’s signing completes the Dolphins’ eight-man draft class before training camp kicks off next week.

Darren Waller’s Dolphins Deal Includes No Guarantees

July 16th, 2025 at 3:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Dolphins acquired Darren Waller, the veteran tight end’s cap hit stood beyond $10MM. That is no longer the case, as the Dolphins and the unretiring tight end have agreed on a new structure after the unexpected trade.

The Giants had acquired Waller’s Raiders extension in March 2023, only to see the former Pro Bowler retire after one season in New York. He expressed a desire to be traded to Miami, where he will try and resurrect his career. The Dolphins will be careful here, as they designed a contract with no guarantees.

Although Waller’s Raiders deal ran through 2026, OverTheCap indicates his Dolphins pact ends after the 2025 season. Waller will be tied to a one-year, $2MM deal that includes no guarantees. Incentives can take this contract to $3MM, according to Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer. Waller counts $2MM against Miami’s cap.

This could represent a bargain for the Dolphins, based on Waller’s past performance, but the player having an extensive injury history and being out of football in 2024 invited the team to exercise caution when doing this deal. Although the Dolphins held trade talks with the Raiders in 2023, they are getting a different version of Waller by 2025.

Waller’s issues with substance abuse nearly ended his NFL opportunity before it started; the Raiders signing him off the Ravens’ practice squad in November 2018 changed his career path. The Jon Gruden 2.0-era pickup posted back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons (2019-20) and drew Comeback Player of the Year votes in 2019 and a Pro Bowl nod in 2020. Waller signed two Raiders extensions, the second just before the 2022 season after an extended negotiation, but saw the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler regime trade him for a third-round pick — the choice the Giants obtained in the Kadarius Toney trade — months after the three-year, $51MM extension emerged.

In New York, Waller played just 12 games. For a Giants team that had moved on from Evan Engram in 2022, Waller’s 2023 work (52 receptions, 552 yards, one touchdown) stands out. But he landed on IR due to a hamstring injury, his second in two seasons. Waller did return via IR activation late that season, but he hinted at a potential retirement during the 2024 offseason. The veteran tight end followed through on that weeks after the draft, setting up another unremarkable Giants TE season.

Not many good options were available for the Dolphins, who folded Jonnu Smith into the Jalen Ramsey–Minkah Fitzpatrick swap with the Steelers. Waller, who missed six games in 2021 and eight in 2022, represents a low-risk bet. Miami can move on for no dead money. Waller will turn 33 in September; the upcoming Dolphins training camp will determine if he still has an NFL future.

Players To Spend Season On Franchise Tag Since 2015

July 13th, 2025 at 10:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs and Trey Smith have just less than 48 hours to agree on a long-term extension; otherwise, the Pro Bowl guard will play on the franchise tag and negotiations will be tabled until 2026. That is 2025’s only tag situation as the July 15 deadline approaches.

Over the previous 10 offseasons, 77 players received the franchise tag. Many of those signed extensions before the midsummer deadline. Here are the players who did not and ended up playing the season for the tag price:

2015

Pierre-Paul’s infamous fireworks accident led to Giants rescinding $14.8MM tag, setting up revised agreement 

2016

2017

2018

Bell did not collect any money on his 2018 tag, being the 21st century’s lone franchise-tagged player to skip season

2019

Texans applied $15.9MM linebacker tag on Clowney, trading him to Seahawks in August 2019; edge rusher agreed to salary reduction upon being dealt

2020

Ravens, Judon agreed on compromise between defensive end, linebacker tag prices. Ngakoue agreed to salary reduction to facilitate trade from Jaguars. Vikings traded edge rusher to Ravens before 2020 deadline. Prescott received exclusive franchise tag from Cowboys.

2021

2022

2023

Raiders provided raise to Jacobs to bring him into training camp

2024

Dolphins WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine Dealt With Undisclosed Injury This Offseason

July 13th, 2025 at 11:23am CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins agreed to terms with WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine during this year’s legal tampering period, which illustrates how highly they prioritized adding a big-bodied pass catcher to their wide receivers room. Miami authorized a two-year, $6.5MM deal ($3.2MM guaranteed) for the former UDFA.

Outside of this year’s crop of college free agents, the ‘Fins did not sign any other WRs this offseason, nor did they draft one. That keeps Westbrook-Ikhine in line for a notable role on the offense, especially since he is the first prototypical red zone threat Miami has rostered since 2021, when players like DeVante Parker and Mack Hollins were on the club.

Of course, the Dolphins do have a dynamic 1-2 punch at the receiver position in the form of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. But according to C. Isaiah Smalls II of the Miami Herald, head coach Mike McDaniel and offensive coordinator Frank Smith are intrigued by the physical element that Westbrook-Ikhine (6-2, 211) can add to the passing game.

Per Smalls, Westbrook-Ikhine has battled an undisclosed injury this offseason, which exacerbated the struggles he acknowledged in adapting to the timing of the Miami offense. It sounds as if the ailment is continuing to impact him to an extent, as Smalls says the break before training camp opens later this month is giving Westbrook-Ikhine additional time to heal.

Nonetheless, Smalls does point out that the 28-year-old wideout played well in front of the media during mandatory minicamp. During the red zone portion of that session, Westbrook-Ikhine made several touchdown grabs, a notable development given the role the club has in mind for him.

Westbrook-Ikhine tallied 32 catches for 497 yards and nine TDs with the Titans in 2024, all career-best marks (although 98 of those yards came on one play). Of his nine scores, six of them came in the red zone, and his presence could certainly help Miami improve on its middling 56.6% success rate inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. 

“I love the red zone,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “I’m a bigger target, which makes it a little bit easier too. You can kind of throw it wherever. I enjoy being in the end zone.”

Hill surfaced in trade rumors earlier this year, but he remains on track to lead the Dolphins’ WR group. A bounceback season from him, coupled with the addition of Westbrook-Ikhine, could help the offense regain the form it displayed over the 2022-23 seasons, when it finished at or near the top of the league in yardage and scoring. Naturally, that will also depend heavily on the health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

For now, Smith has nothing but good things to say about one of his newest weapons.

“He’s going to be extremely reliable,” Smith said of Westbrook-Ikhine. “I think ultimately if you talk to the guys that knew him in Tennessee and our exposure so far has been consistent work ethic. I think that’s ultimately where he puts himself in position to be successful is because he really is a student of the process, making sure he’s on the little things so, therefore, on Sundays he can be reliable for the quarterback and really the rest of the offense.”

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