MIAMI GARDENS, FL — A seismic shift in philosophy appears to be underway for the Miami Dolphins organization, with a series of high-stakes decisions on veteran contracts and quarterback futures sending shockwaves through the fanbase and signaling a complex, multi-year rebuild.
The franchise is poised to make star linebacker Jordan Brooks the financial cornerstone of its new defensive identity. Fresh off a First-Team All-Pro selection for the 2025 season, Brooks has received resounding public endorsement from new defensive coordinator Shawn Degen, who called watching his tape “inspiring.” With Brooks entering the final year of his contract at a team-friendly $8.3 million, the new front office regime of GM John Eric Sullivan is expected to pursue a massive extension imminently.
Early projections suggest a deal in the range of three years and $58.5 million, averaging $19.5 million annually. This would place Brooks among the top three highest-paid linebackers in the NFL, behind only Fred Warner and Roquan Smith. The move is seen as a critical step to secure elite, prime-age talent and provide stability for Degen’s defensive scheme, while managing a looming 2026 salary cap crunch.
In a parallel and far more controversial development, the Dolphins are preparing to retain quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the 2026 season, despite his benching during a playoff-ending loss last year. The decision is driven overwhelmingly by catastrophic salary cap ramifications, not overwhelming organizational faith. Tagovailoa’s contract carries a $56 million cap hit for 2026, with nearly $100 million in dead money should the team release him before June 1st.
The financial reality has forced a pragmatic, if painful, strategy. The team will reportedly absorb the full cap charge this coming season, allowing the dead money to drop to a more manageable $31.8 million in 2027 before clearing entirely. This creates a costly “bridge” year where Tagovailoa, familiar with new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s system, will likely compete for the starting job but under immense pressure to rediscover his Pro Bowl form.
Amid the turmoil surrounding the established starter, a unexpected spark emerged late in the 2025 season from rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers. Thrust into action for the final three games after Tagovailoa’s benching, Ewers threw for over 600 yards and led the team to a shocking win over Tampa Bay, instantly dividing the fanbase about his long-term potential.
Team insiders indicate the current plan is to develop Ewers cautiously in a backup role for 2026, preserving his cost-controlled rookie contract while the franchise navigates its financial straits. This approach allows Miami to evaluate his growth without throwing him into a fractured situation, while also keeping options open for selecting a quarterback in future drafts.
The confluence of these moves paints a picture of an organization attempting a structured recalibration. The directive is clear: lock down definitive defensive pillars like Brooks, use Tagovailoa’s expensive final chapter as a transitional tool, and nurture any found talent like Ewers without premature commitment. It is a strategy balancing fiscal necessity with measured team-building, aiming to rip off the cap band-aid slowly to enable a cleaner future.
Fan reaction has been intensely polarized, particularly regarding the quarterback position. Online forums are battlegrounds between factions advocating for a complete tear-down and those seeing logic in the short-term retention of Tagovailoa. The extension for Brooks, however, is universally hailed as a necessary and positive first step for the new administration to prove its commitment to retaining homegrown talent.
As the Dolphins navigate this pivotal offseason, the path forward is one of calculated patience. The decisions of the last 24 hours reveal a franchise acknowledging past contractual missteps while attempting to lay a more sustainable foundation, even if it requires enduring another season of significant financial pain and unresolved questions under center.
