Jets Notes: Draft, McDonald, Cook, Cross, Vera-Tucker, Simpson, Davis
Trading former first-round pick Jermaine Johnson to the Titans, the Jets look to have opened the door to selecting another edge rusher with the No. 2 overall pick. As PFR’s Adam La Rose indicated when the team shipped Johnson to Nashville for T’Vondre Sweat, the trade could certainly telegraph the Jets’ draft plans.
With the Raiders almost certain to draft Fernando Mendoza first overall, the Jets are expected to have their pick of edge rushers. Arvell Reese and David Bailey look to be the top candidates for that slot, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes. Reese has played on and the ball as a standout Ohio State linebacker, but he looks to want a shot on the edge to start his NFL career.
The Jets will still be considered likely to exercise Will McDonald‘s fifth-year option ($14.48MM), but the Joe Douglas-era investment looks on the verge of teaming with a big-ticket rookie draftee. That would make three first-round edge defenders in five drafts for New York, which selected Johnson in 2022 and McDonald in ’23.
The Jets have lost Johnson, Quinnen Williams, Haason Reddick, John Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff from their D-line since the 2024 free agency period. With Micheal Clemons on track for free agency, McDonald is the last man standing here. The Jets are believed to be interested in unloading more Douglas-era pieces, and two more figure to be on the move next week.
Both Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson are expected to depart in free agency, Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline adds. That will create glaring Gang Green guard needs. It should not be considered a certainty both leave, though, as Cimini counters by saying the Jets will keep in touch with both blockers. Both interior linemen are, however, expected to at least test the market next week.
Vera-Tucker’s market would be booming had he not missed all of last season — with his third major injury since entering the NFL in 2021 — with a triceps tear. Simpson started two seasons at left guard in New York, not missing a game during that span. Simpson will be heading into an age-29 season, while Vera-Tucker will turn 27 in June.
This Jets regime will be looking to add replacements across the roster, holding more than $74MM in cap space. They have Tony Adams and 2025 UFA addition Andre Cisco bound for the market, and Cimini adds that Bryan Cook and Nick Cross are two safeties the team is believed to have its eye on.
Cook worked as a four-year Chiefs starter, starting every Kansas City game over the past two seasons. The former Super Bowl starter ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 overall safety in 2025. A two-year Colts starter, Cross has been incredibly productive since being inserted into Indianapolis’ lineup. He has combined for 266 tackles (11 for loss) over the past two seasons, also not missing a game in that span. The Colts, who transition-tagged Daniel Jones today and have four DBs tied to eight-figure-per-year salaries, are likely to let Cross walk next week.
Minkah Fitzpatrick also looms as a name to monitor, per Cimini, who reminds new DC Brian Duker coached the recent Dolphins reacquisition as Miami’s defensive pass-game coordinator last season. One year remains on Fitzpatrick’s Steelers-designed/Dolphins-adjusted pact, which Miami’s new regime is believed to be trying to trade. The Jets are also believed to be eyeing edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad — who played for Aaron Glenn in Detroit in 2024 — and Cimini confirms a recent report that tied the team to ex-Glenn Lions LB pupil Alex Anzalone.
An interesting reunion may be in the Jets’ plans as well. Demario Davis is back on the team’s radar, Pauline adds. The Jets are believed to be targeting the 14-year veteran — originally a Jets draftee back in 2012 — ahead of his age-37 season. Davis, who already logged two Jets stints (2012-15, 2017), has become one of the league’s best off-ball LBs since relocating to New Orleans. Glenn was on the Saints’ staff for three of Davis’ eight New Orleans seasons.
The prolific Saints tackler has racked up five All-Pro nods (four second-team placements) as a Saint. The Jets gave Jamien Sherwood a three-year, $45MM deal to stay but are almost certain to lose Quincy Williams — a Robert Saleh-Jeff Ulbrich All-Pro piece who drew trade buzz before the deadline — in free agency.
Closing out this Jets rundown, the team’s aging kicker — Nick Folk — is not looking to retire just yet. The 41-year-old kicker, who joins Davis in being a two-stint Jet, is aiming to play at 42 in 2026, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. Despite his advancing age, the 2007 UDFA has led the NFL in accuracy in each of the past three seasons. This included a 96.6% make rate in 2025, when Folk made 7 of 8 tries from beyond 50 yards.
Dolphins Shopping Minkah Fitzpatrick
FEBRUARY 23: During his latest WSVN appearance on Sunday, Fitzpatrick’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) no trade request has been made in this case. Fitzpatrick is nevertheless a stronger candidate to be dealt than some of his teammates, so another deal sending him out of Miami remains something to watch for.
FEBRUARY 18: Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick may be part of a mass offseason exodus of high-priced veterans in Miami. The Dolphins have discussed a Fitzpatrick trade with other teams, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. It’s unclear if they have made progress in those talks.
[RELATED: Dolphins Offseason Outlook]
Fitzpatrick, a Dolphins first-round pick in 2018, is in his second stint with the franchise. His first run ended when the Dolphins traded him to the Steelers in September 2019 for a package headlined by a 2020 first-rounder. The Dolphins wound up re-acquiring Fitzpatrick in a swap involving another decorated defensive back, Jalen Ramsey, and tight end Jonnu Smith last June.
Fitzpatrick did not add to his five Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro selections in his first season back in Miami. However, the 29-year-old still put together another productive season.
Over 14 games (all starts), Fitzpatrick tallied 82 tackles, six passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, an interception and his first career sack. Logging a significant number of snaps in the slot, at free safety and in the box, Pro Football Focus ranked Fitzpatrick a superb fifth among 91 qualifying safeties.
Despite his strong output, the floundering Dolphins were open to trading Fitzpatrick before last season’s Nov. 4 deadline. Nothing came together then, but with a new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, the rebuilding Dolphins are making over their roster. Fitzpatrick could soon follow wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and guard James Daniels out the door. The team also figures to give quarterback Tua Tagovailoa his walking papers sometime soon.
The Dolphins were unable to trade the released group of Hill, Westbrook-Ikhine, Chubb and Daniels. Meanwhile, they’ve hit nothing but roadblocks in attempting to move Tagovailoa. Finding a taker for Fitzpatrick should be easier. He’s due a non-guaranteed base salary of $15.6MM in 2026, the last year of his contract. The Dolphins would take on approximately $13MM in dead money with a pre-June 1 trade, but they’d free up $5.83MM in cap space.
Dolphins Do Not Intend To Trade De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle
The Dolphins turned down offers for running back De’Von Achane and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle at the trade deadline, and their stance on the matter has not changed heading into the offseason.
Miami still sees their speedy offensive skill players as “core players,” according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, and have no desire to trade them as a result.
Achane, 24, just finished a career-best season with 1,838 yards from scrimmage and an NFL-high 5.7 yards per carry. He will become eligible for an extension in the new league year, and his next contract will likely make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL.
At the deadline, the Dolphins reportedly set a price of “a second-round pick and more” for Achane that no other team was willing to meet. As the draft approaches – and more teams begin to fall in love with Day 1 and 2 prospects – the chances of Miami getting such a haul for their young running back will likely drop. That kind of an offer may no longer be good enough, either, as the new front office and coaching staff could see Achane as a foundational part of their offense.
Waddle, 27, just finished his second straight season under 1,000 receiving yards after eclipsing that number in his previous three years. Much of that regression can be attributed to the Dolphins’ issues at quarterback and general offensive woes in 2025.
The Dolphins demanded a first-round pick “and then some” for Waddle at the deadline with no team making such an offer. The 2021 No. 6 pick has three years remaining on his contract with a $15.4MM option bonus due on March 20. He currently has no other guaranteed money in the future, though $8.2MM of his 2027 salary will become guaranteed early in the 2027 league year, per OverTheCap. That much contract control for a star wide receiver is another reason why the Dolphins set such a high price for Waddle in the past and plan to hold onto him moving forward.
The Dolphins would be more inclined to trade Minkah Fitzpatrick, per Wolfe, aligning with earlier reporting that the team was shopping the 29-year-old safety. Though they have hopes of quickly retooling around younger talents like Achane and Waddle, Fitzpatrick does not fit the timeline of a team that has yet to find its next quarterback.
Two Dolphins who may not be on the field at all next year – in Miami or elsehwere – are running back Alexander Mattison and offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg.
Mattison underwent emergency fusion surgery after a preseason neck injury in Chicago. The 27-year-old running back said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) that he is still recovering but expressed hope to play again in the future.
Eichenberg is in a similar situation. He spent the entire season on the physically unable to perform list due to a lingering knee injury that flared up during offseason practices.
“It was one of those things that just started happening working out, doing exercises,” Eichenberg said (via Jackson). “My knee was just kind of breaking down for the most part.”
Eichenberg declined to say if he underwent surgery to address the issue. As for his playing future, he plans to try to return to the field but did not offer much more information.
Dolphins Open To Trading Minkah Fitzpatrick
The Dolphins became readier to sell off assets after splitting with longtime GM Chris Grier. In a headline straight out of 2019, however, they are now including Minkah Fitzpatrick as a piece they are willing to move.
Multiple teams have reached out to the Dolphins on Fitzpatrick, according to veteran insider Jordan Schultz, who indicates the team is indeed open to moving the player it acquired this summer.
Two years remain on Fitzpatrick’s contract. Although the Steelers extended Fitzpatrick through 2026, he is tied to a Dolphins-redesigned deal that will not be too difficult to move. Fitzpatrick is on a $1.26MM base salary, meaning an acquiring team would owe him barely $500K for the season’s remainder. He is due a nonguaranteed $15.6MM in 2026.
Grier’s first year in charge brought the initial Fitzpatrick trade, one that sent Miami a first-rounder from Pittsburgh. The Steelers received three first-team All-Pro seasons from the former first-round pick and extended him on a then-top-market safety accord in 2022. After seeing his production decline, however, the Steelers included him in the Jalen Ramsey trade. This helped align salaries in a move that also sent Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh. With the Dolphins at 2-7 and having already dealt Jaelan Phillips to the Eagles, Fitzpatrick could need to pack his bags once again.
We heard Sunday that Stephen Ross had become ready to deal away veterans for draft capital, as this Dolphins rebuild has skidded well off track. Although Miami secured two playoff berths — the first instance of back-to-back Dolphins postseason bookings since they made five straight from 1997-01 — from 2022-23, Mike McDaniel is on thin ice after Grier’s exit. Losing Phillips will make McDaniel’s job harder, but that is unlikely to be the only deal Miami makes. While a first-round asking price is attached to Jaylen Waddle, Fitzpatrick is unlikely to command anything on that level.
Fitzpatrick, 29 this month, has started all nine Dolphins games this season. He has one interception, though Pro Football Focus has viewed this as a bounce-back campaign. The advanced metrics website ranks the eighth-year veteran ninth among safeties this season. Even though Fitzpatrick expressed a desire to remain in Miami long term — after his first stint ended early in his second season — the Dolphins’ mission has changed since they landed him in June.
Understandably, a market is forming for his services. Fitzpatrick being signed through 2026 will help the Dolphins’ cause here, and it will be interesting to see if the Alabama product — who began his career as a Dolphins cornerback before shining at safety in Pittsburgh — becomes a thrice-traded player before Tuesday’s deadline.
Eagles Could Address Pass Rush Before Trade Deadline
Since the start of training camp, the Eagles have already made seven trades as part of their efforts to repeat as Super Bowl champions, and according to multiple NFL sources, if a front office phone is ringing, chances are high that general manager Howie Roseman is on the other end looking for more. Atop the NFC East by 2.5 games with top performers at multiple positions, there is one area at which Philadelphia could see serious improvement. 
Per Zach Berman of The Athletic, “the obvious spot to watch” in Philadelphia is edge rusher. After losing top sack-getter Josh Sweat to free agency in the offseason, filling out the edge has been a focus of the front office. The Eagles didn’t sign a single multi-year deal in free agency but still added a few potential high-ceiling names in Joshua Uche, Azeez Ojulari, and Ogbo Okoronkwo. There were quite a few options in the draft, as well, and the team made an intriguing selection on Day 1, trading up a single spot to draft Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell.
In overall team rankings, Philadelphia has been pretty middle-of-the-road with its overall pass rush. Per Pro Football Reference, the Eagles’ 16 sacks are tied for 19th in the league, and the defense is 17th in overall pressures with 58. Many of these are not coming from the edge, though. Making up 10 of the team’s 16 sacks, are two defensive tackles, Moro Ojomo (4.0) and Jordan Davis (3.0), and inside linebacker Zack Baun (3.0). The team leader in quarterback hits is defensive tackle Jalen Carter (9), and Ojomo (6) is third on the team with Davis (4) and Baun (4) tying for fourth.
Second-year pass rusher Jalyx Hunt ranks second on the team in quarterback hits with eight, but he’s only amassed one sack in the first half of his sophomore campaign. Uche has spent the second-most time on the edge behind Hunt, but he, too, only has one sack to his name while only accounting for three quarterback hits. Okoronkwo suffered a triceps tear that may have ended his season after only four snaps in his only game of the year. Finally, third-year edge rusher Nolan Smith, who started three games across from Hunt to start the season, only tallied one quarterback hit while failing to notch a sack before landing on injured reserve with a pectoral injury.
The Eagles had also signed veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith, who still leads the position group with 1.5 sacks despite suddenly retiring a little over two weeks ago. Retirement giveth and taketh, though, as on the heels of Smith’s retirement, long-time Eagles veteran Brandon Graham came out of retirement to sign back on with the team. Graham may be more of a culture builder or locker room presence, though, considering his final two seasons in Philadelphia paled in comparison to his career-best 2022 campaign.
The rookie Campbell is an intriguing option at the position, as well. The 21-year-old came out of high school and started his career with the Crimson Tide as an edge rusher, only moving to off-ball linebacker due to injuries at the position. He played the 2023 season almost exclusively in that role but found more versatility in where he lined up throughout his final year with the team, spending increased time in his original position.
Due to this experience, there was a good amount of speculation in how he would be used in the NFL. It seemed early on that the Eagles would be willing to entertain his usage at both positions, but they started him as an off-ball linebacker, and he earned a starting role. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Campbell has excelled in the role, ranking as the team’s second-best defender and the sixth-highest graded linebacker in the NFL, so it doesn’t appear likely he’ll be moving positions.
Hence why Berman has identified the position as one the team may target in the trade market. If they do move on a pass rusher, though, they can’t make any more small moves. They’ll need to target players who can move the needle as a consistent defensive presence. Berman is one of several reporters who have identified the Dolphins as a franchise Roseman should reach out to, along with Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. Specifically, edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips were identified as targets in Miami.
Both player’s careers have ebbed and flowed as injuries have taken a toll on their consistent outputs. Chubb logged a career-high 12.0 sacks as a rookie in 2018 and didn’t see double digits again until he tallied 11.0 in his first full year in Miami. Chubb missed the entire 2024 campaign with a torn ACL but has looked strong this year with four sacks and seven quarterback hits. He has no guaranteed money left on his contract after this year, so he makes perfect sense as a half-year rental that may become a cap casualty after that.
After two strong seasons to start his career, Phillips was on pace for a 14.0-sack season in 2023 before tearing his Achilles tendon after eight games. Season-ending knee surgery would cut off his 2024 campaign after half as many games. Phillips has rebounded decently, as well, though, logging three sacks and seven quarterback hits so far this year. Phillips in currently playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie deal and could leave the team in free agency, with Miami getting nothing in return.
The Eagles aren’t the only ones interested in Chubb and Phillips, though. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, multiple teams have reached out with significant interest in the oft-injured pass rushing pair. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated added recently that veteran pass rusher Matt Judon, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick have also been points of order on phone calls.
Per Breer, Miami has been steadfast in telling the team’s inquiring about Waddle “no” in no uncertain terms. He believes the team “may be more receptive” on Fitzpatrick, though. For the pass rushers, Wolfe claims the Dolphins’ front office has been hesitant, but with the trade deadline looming, their grip may loosen a bit. The asking price for Phillips is thought to be at least a third-rounder. There was some thought that, with general manager Chris Grier parting ways with the organization this morning, a fire sale of assets may take place, but interim general manager Champ Kelly is thought to be auditioning for a full-time role, so he’ll still be fairly strategic and judicial with any trade talks that take place, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
The Eagles are eager to deal, though. With an expectation of up to three compensatory draft picks in their future, there’s a chance Philadelphia could be sitting on 10 picks for the 2026 NFL Draft. Roseman is reportedly unafraid to trade those picks, and there’s even speculation players like wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back AJ Dillon could be available in packages, as well. Even if the Dolphins are playing hard ball with their most sought-after assets, the Eagles may be willing to play ball en route to a chance at back-to-back championships.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier Discusses Offseason Approach, Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey Trade, Secondary
The Dolphins were not especially active in free agency this offseason, as guard James Daniels (three years, $24MM) was the only FA addition to land a contract worth over $6MM. After Miami made significant expenditures in recent seasons to extend internal talent or acquire expensive, high-profile players from other clubs, this year’s more conservative approach reflected a concerted effort to get right with the salary cap.
“For us, it was just good business,” Dolphins GM Chris Grier told reporters, including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, at his annual late-August press conference on Wednesday. “We had to get younger … At some point, if you don’t reset fast enough, it’s not good cap wise. We got to a point where we felt this was the right time to do it but to the point we [also] have a good roster to win games. We’ve been very happy so far.”
Grier made sure to point out owner Stephen Ross did not influence his roster construction.
“Steve has never given us a directive on how to do it,” Grier noted. “At some point, you have to reset. When you make aggressive moves like we had made for a few years, you have to reset and start it over. It’s not sustainable.”
Of course, two years after trading for CB Jalen Ramsey and one year after extending him, the ‘Fins dealt him and TE Jonnu Smith to the Steelers at the end of June. They took on Minkah Fitzpatrick’s notable contract in the process, but with Pittsburgh assuming the bulk of Ramsey’s pay, it ended up as a financial win for Miami, particularly since the team was able to avoid signing Smith to an extension at the peak of his value.
As Jackson notes, there may have been other factors at play in the Ramsey/Smith trade. When asked about parting ways with Ramsey and others this offseason, Grier said, “we were winning, but we weren’t winning the right way. They were held accountable but at times it didn’t matter to them. Moving on from those people … At some point, you say enough is enough.”
To be clear, Grier said Ramsey and Smith are “good people” and that he “didn’t have any issues with them.” Still, the accountability comments add an interesting wrinkle to conversations about the Dolphins’ offseason strategies.
When discussing his current roster, Grier praised the group’s accountability and self-policing. He spoke particularly highly of wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was also a rumored trade candidate earlier this year.
“Tyreek has been unbelievable the whole offseason,” Grier said. “He has been around every day, worked tirelessly with this team. He’s closer with a lot of his teammates than he has ever been. He is 100 percent invested. [Quarterback] Tua [Tagovailoa] and Tyreek are closer than I’ve ever seen them before.”
One of the byproducts of Grier’s cap-driven roster decisions was a perceived weakness in the secondary, underscored by the inevitable Ramsey departure and the February release of CB Kendall Fuller. In Week 1, 2024 UDFA Storm Duck and recent signee Rasul Douglas are penciled in as the starting boundary corners, while fifth-round rookie Jason Marshall will man the slot. It is a group that is not inspiring a great deal of confidence at the moment, though Grier naturally expressed optimism.
“We feel good about the room, adding [Douglas] to the group,” he said. “We’ve been talking to him throughout the summer. He’s a consummate professional, keeps himself in great shape. He’s very smart. Happy to add him to the group. Veteran players go through their process of when they’re ready. Timing worked to get it done last minute.”
Grier went on to discuss the benefit of adding Fitzpatrick to the defensive backfield. As Jackson details in a separate piece, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver plans to deploy Fitzpatrick in multiple roles. That includes rushing the passer and lining up on the box.
“It’s going to be a little bit more challenging, a little bit more pressure,” Fitzpatrick said. “They’re asking me to do more than just one job. I think his defense in the secondary is based off of versatility, and that’s kind of the reason they brought me here.”
S Minkah Fitzpatrick Aiming For Long-Term Dolphins Tenure
Minkah Fitzpatrick is back where his career began thanks to the trade which sent him from Pittsburgh to Miami. In the wake of that deal, the All-Pro safety worked out a restructured contract with the Dolphins.
As a result of the alterations to his pact, Fitzpatrick received a signing bonus to help take the place of money which was not previously guaranteed. No new years were added to his pact, though, so the decision to accelerate compensation for 2025 did not add any term to Fitzpatrick’s second Dolphins stint. The five-time Pro Bowler is currently set to see his contract expire after the 2026 campaign, but he is interested in a long-term Miami tenure.
“I know it was reported that I wanted a new contract,” Fitzpatrick said (via the Associated Press through Fox Sports), “but I just wanted to know that I was going to be here for more than a season and I got that. And now, I’m going to go out there, play All-Pro, Pro Bowl level and hopefully earn the respect of my teammates and the organization to have that long-term contract.”
The restructure created $11MM in immediate cap space for the Dolphins, a team in need of financial flexibility given its cap situation prior to the Fitzpatrick reworking and the growing need for healthy contributors in the secondary. Of course, the move will inflate Fitzpatrick’s cap charge for 2026, providing further incentive on the team’s part to work out a multi-year commitment. Efforts on that front will be tied to how the 28-year-old fares in his return to South Beach.
Fitzpatrick’s request to be traded during his second season resulted in the swap which sent him to the Steelers. Over the course of course of 88 regular season games with Pittsburgh, he amassed 18 interceptions and 45 pass deflections. The past two seasons have seen Fitzpatrick notch just one pick, however, and a return to his previous form will be needed if he is to secure another lucrative pact. With an AAV of $18.25MM at signing, his current deal ranks fourth amongst safeties. Another accord could be in store next spring depending on how things play out.
Dolphins, S Minkah Fitzpatrick Agree To Reworked Deal
Shortly after hiring agent Drew Rosenhaus, Minkah Fitzpatrick has secured a reworked deal from the Dolphins. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, Miami has added a $16.245MM signing bonus to Fitzpatrick’s thru-2026 contract, which previously contained no more guaranteed money (Schefter’s ESPN colleague, Marcel Louis-Jacques, offered a minor correction on the bonus amount, which is reportedly $16.435MM).
No years were added to the pact, so Fitzpatrick remains eligible for free agency after the 2026 season. He was previously due to earn $15.5MM in base salary in 2025, and while he was not in jeopardy of missing out on that money given that he was just acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Steelers, the extra security and expedited cash flow is surely a welcome development.
Rosenhaus said he and Fitzpatrick are comfortable with the restructure and will continue to work towards an extension. It is nonetheless fair to wonder how anxious the ‘Fins will be to put an extension in place since they do not yet know how their former first-round pick will fare in new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme. Plus, despite earning Pro Bowl accolades in each of the last two seasons, Fitzpatrick was not as effective from either an advanced metrics or ball production perspective over the 2023-24 campaigns as he was earlier in his career.
The revised pact will result in a $2MM bump in 2025 pay for Fitzpatrick, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. That money was moved from what Fitzpatrick was due to earn in 2026, so the 28-year-old will thus be in line for $17.5MM in 2026 and $15.6MM in 2026, and the salary-to-signing bonus mechanism (as confirmed by ESPN’s Field Yates) will result in $11MM in cap savings on this year’s ledger. That represented a key need for the Dolphins, who had just over $1MM in cap space and who now have increased flexibility to conduct in-season business.
Re-acquiring Fitzpatrick was part of Miami’s major offseason overhaul in the secondary, which will see four new starters in 2025. The club recently signed Jack Jones and Mike Hilton in an effort to address a dire cornerback situation that was exacerbated by the Ramsey departure.
Dolphins S Minkah Fitzpatrick Hires New Agent
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.
Latest On Recent Dolphins Trades
JULY 8: A few additional compensation details trickled in today on Ramsey’s situation in Pittsburgh. Per ESPN’s Field Yates, in addition to the $3MM the Dolphins advanced to Ramsey in order to help facilitate the trade to the Steelers, Pittsburgh, too, provided their new All-Pro with some early funding. Similar to Miami, the Steelers took $1.5MM from Ramsey’s 2026 base salary to increase his base salary this year.
Yates adds that Ramsey’s original deal had language that gave him active game roster bonuses of $45K per game in the final three years of his contract (2026-28). Pittsburgh changed that language, converting the potential bonuses into base salary, meaning he won’t miss out on the bonus if he’s inactive for any games. In all, the conversion adds $765K to each year’s base salary.
JULY 4: NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero made an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show yesterday, in which he gave some keen insight on two recent trades made by the Dolphins with the Steelers and Giants. 
Pelissero started by underlining the influence Jalen Ramsey had held in Miami, noting his impact on former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio‘s dismissal from the team. We had noted, shortly after Fangio’s departure was finalized, that Ramsey and a few other defensive backs had expressed issues with the defensive play-caller, and Pelissero confirmed as much, pointing out that the two never clicked due to Fangio’s inflexibility in putting Ramsey in the best position to succeed.
He goes on to say that, while discussions with the Steelers had been ongoing, there was always doubt about whether or not Ramsey would accept Pittsburgh as a trade destination. From the Jaguars to the Rams to the Dolphins, Ramsey has never played for a cold-weather team, and the prevailing assumption was that a return to Los Angeles was most likely. Ultimately, the Rams seemingly lacked the cash and cap space to take on Ramsey’s contract, and while the Chargers exchanged several calls with Miami, they never found a deal that interested them.
Mostly, the Dolphins were focused on player-for-player trades. Knowing how big of a deterrent Ramsey’s contract was for potential trade partners, the team knew that it would have to take on a big salary in return. With that in mind, they turned back to Pittsburgh to reunite with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. They’ll now take on the two remaining years on Fitzpatrick’s contract, which doesn’t contain any guarantees. In fact, if his doesn’t work out on the team in 2025, they can cut him with only $6.86MM in dead money in order to obtain $17.6MM in cap savings.
In order to sweeten the pot and bring the Steelers back to the table, they included Jonnu Smith. Smith is an apparent favorite tight end of Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The two were in Atlanta together in 2023 and will reunite after a career year for the tight end. Smith’s recent production and Fitpatrick’s declining production made taking on Ramsey’s contract a bit more palatable for Pittsburgh. As a result, Pittsburgh extended Smith for another year elevating his annual average salary from $4.2MM on the original two-year deal to $6.8MM per year over three seasons with the extension.
Ramsey also received some money from the trade, Pelissero explains. While, technically, he isn’t receiving any additional funds from the Steelers or Dolphins, he was owed $1.5MM of his salary from Miami this year and $1.5MM of his salary in 2026, as well. With the trade taking place, the Dolphins essentially advanced the $3MM to Ramsey upfront, while the Steelers take on the remainder of Ramsey’s contract.
Pelissero also spoke on the team’s acquisition of formerly retired tight end Darren Waller, a trade, he says, that materialized relatively quickly. Waller and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, reportedly reached out to the Giants last week, telling them that Waller was either going to go play for the Dolphins or stay retired. To his credit, general manager Joe Schoen did not press Waller or try to convince him to stay. Instead, he took his prize of a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for a player he knew wasn’t going to contribute to his team ever again.
Waller’s fit in Miami is already obvious, following the departure of Smith for Pittsburgh, but it works out even more once one digs deeper. Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith was the tight ends coach of the Raiders for the first three years of Waller’s tenure in Oakland and Las Vegas. These were the years that saw Waller break out from a fizzled-out Baltimore late-round receiver to a Pro Bowl tight end. Peliserro claims Waller’s relationship with Smith is “unique” and that they’re “like brothers.” Especially with Waller’s troubled history, having a coach he can trust makes his unretiring make much more sense.
In terms of Waller’s impact on the offense, it seems like it could be another strong fit. Waller’s size and ball-control style of play match well with another offseason addition in wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Both players should be excellent compliments to the speed elsewhere on the offense in Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De’Von Achane, granted Waller can return to a high level of play after sitting out for a full season of NFL play.
Even if Waller can’t, all it cost the Dolphins to find out was a sixth-round pick next year. In order to offload Ramsey and his contract, the team had to part ways with Smith and replace him with Waller for a 2026 sixth-rounder. They take on Fitzpatrick’s contract, as well, but a year from now, the team could be free of both players’ contracts, and virtually no hint of the Ramsey fallout will remain.