The Miami Dolphins’ upcoming decision regarding the contract desires of CB Xavien Howard is going to be a complicated one. And regardless of what direction the Dolphins choose to take, there will be ripple effects that are felt throughout much of the rest of the roster. Either Miami trades Howard and the dynamics of Miami’s defense shifts or the team will concede to Howard’s contract demands and there will be financial implications on the rest of the roster. Could the Dolphins try to play hard ball and call Howard’s bluff? Surely they could. But if Howard is willing to miss games, that would also be the worst case scenario for all involved.
So let’s pretend Miami decides to concede to Howard’s wish to get a raise. As of right now, Miami has approximately $5.2M in salary cap at their disposal for the 2021 season according to OverTheCap. If Howard’s desire to be a top-paid cornerback is somewhat flexible, than you’re looking at a minimum of half of that remaining cap space being tied up into Howard — who is currently scheduled to be paid $12.1M this upcoming season. That figure is currently 12th among cornerbacks in the NFL; including behind Byron Jones’ $14M scheduled pay. If Miami gave half of their remaining cap space to Howard, the team would push his 2021 pay to rank 6th in the league at $14.7M.
That would hopefully be enough to get a deal done. But if Howard is persistent on getting his name into the top of the charts? You’re looking at a major raise — one Miami may not have enough to take on at the moment. Here are the top-3 2021 cornerback salaries in football:
- Tre’Davious White – $18,250,000
- Marlon Humphrey – $18,244,000
- Jalen Ramsey – $17,500,000
If Howard is looking to join this group, he’s going to need every ounce of the Dolphins’ remaining salary cap space and then some. Which is problematic for the fact that Miami still has several prominent rookie draft selections that have yet to sign their contract with Miami. Each of Miami’s three Day 2 selections has yet to sign their contracts:
- SAF Jevon Holland
- OL Liam Eichenberg
- TE Hunter Long
And while they’re certainly salary cap gymnastics to be found and spending power to be manufactured, Miami can’t skimp out on these deals, so the needed spending power to juice Howard’s contract would need to come from other roster cuts and restructures. Is that a precedent the Dolphins want to set? That’s for them to know and for us to find out. But for now, we know for certain that Howard’s expectations are going to go a long way in determining if a restructure is realistic or not.
If Howard wants to be the top-paid corner on the Dolphins, that’s something the team could take in stride. But if he insists on being a top-paid corner in the NFL, that’s going to require a lot more preparation and fine print to figure out.