The NFL was buzzing with activity over the weekend, but it was all quiet around the Miami Dolphins ahead of the start of free agency.
While the negotiating period for impending unrestricted free agents wasn’t starting until Monday at noon, several deals were reached with big-name veterans, whether through contract extensions or veterans who had been released and therefore didn’t need to wait to sign with another team.
The transactions included Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen signing a huge contract extension despite having four years remaining on his contract; Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett getting an extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history; wide receiver Davante Adams signing with the Los Angeles Rams; the Bills released former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller; and the Seattle Seahawks agreeing to trade wide receiver D.K. Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers (that transaction won’t become official until Wednesday).
The Dolphins technically did make one move over the weekend, which was extending a Right of First Refusal (ROFR) tender to restricted free agent Kader Kohou.
This doesn’t mean that the cornerback was re-signed, only that the Dolphins now have the right to match any offer sheet should a team try to snatch Kohou away from Miami. Because RFA offer sheet are somewhat rare, it’s safe to expect that the tender means Kohou will be back in 2025.
The activity will pick up starting Monday at noon when the legal negotiating period begins, and that’s if the Dolphins don’t make any moves before then.
The moves before noon would involve any of the team’s 25 impending UFAs, a list that consists of QB Tyler Huntley, RB Jeff Wilson Jr., WR Braxton Berrios, WR River Cracraft, WR Dee Eskridge, TE Jack Stoll, T Kendall Lamm, G/T Jackson Carman, G Isaiah Wynn, G Liam Eichenberg, G Robert Jones, DT Benito Jones, DT Da’Shawn Hand, DT Calais Campbell, EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah, EDGE Tyus Bowser, EDGE Cam Brown, LB Tyrel Dodson, LB Duke Riley, LB Anthony Walker Jr., CB Siran Neal, S Jevon Holland, S Jordan Poyer, S Elijah Campbell and LS Jake McQuaide.
Once noon arrives, this is when the Dolphins can start coming to agreements with impending UFAs from other teams, though with the understanding that any agreement reached doesn’t become official before Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET and is not binding (meaning player or team can always change their mind).
The biggest implication for the Dolphins among the weekend moves dealt with the Metcalf and Garrett news.
The Dolphins will face both the Browns and Steelers in 2025.
Garrett’s extension pretty much killed the idea of the Browns trading him, which may or may not have been realistic beforehand.
The Browns obviously have a major question mark at quarterback heading into free agency, but having Garrett in the lineup means their defense again will have the potential to be dominant, as it was in 2023.
The Steelers also entered free agency with a question mark at quarterback, but Metcalf will give their offense another option in the passing game along with George Pickens.
With Josh Allen, it’s not like he was going anywhere anytime soon, so his extension doesn’t change the fact the Dolphins will continue to have to deal with him twice a season and will have to overcome him if they hope to win the AFC East title again.
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