canman1971
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This move might work or not, but when will intelligent people stop worrying about what the assheads at ESPN say? It is truly mind blowing.
Amendola Signing Grade: D+
- Thread starter Dolph N.Fan
- Start date
Dolphins81
Basement Dweller
I’m sure that we will trade up and draft one that rides the bench for years....
Dolph N.Fan
Active Roster
It’s obvious it wasn’t truly about the money with Landry. More issues behind the scenes on why they didn’t bring him back.
Dolph N.Fan
Active Roster
Probably cause in this scenario Rodgers is probably 38 and Miami gives him a 5 year $75m deal to play for them.
Yessir
Dolfan for Life
When have we ever truly made a good value free agent signing of some other teams free agent? Especially when they are over 30? Can’t recall.
ANUFan
Club Member
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There you go! That's the strong leadership stuff I expected. Well thought and well said. Trending in the right direction.
roy_miami
2020 cant get here soon enough
Tuesday, March 21
LB Kiko Alonso, Dolphins
Grade: D+
First, it was odd to see the Dolphins tender Alonso at the first-round level as a restricted free agent this offseason, as opposed to the original second-round tender. The difference amounted to a little under $2 million, and it's nearly impossible to believe that another team would have been sufficiently interested in the Oregon product to hand him a deal the Dolphins wouldn't have been willing to match and send Miami a second-round pick in the process.
The Dolphins, down their original third- and fourth-round picks after what appears to be an ill-fated trade up for WR Leonte Carroo last year, should have been delighted to get a second-round pick in a deep draft for Alonso. (They wouldn't have.) Instead, Miami has gone a step further by locking Alonso up on a long-term contract. His four-year deal will include that $3.9 million tender as part of a four-year, $29 million deal with $18.5 million in guarantees.
DE Andre Branch, Dolphins
Revised grade: F
Let's review: The Dolphins have one of the league's most expensive defensive lines, anchored by two elite players: Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake. The team wanted a third pass-rusher last offseason and paid a premium for Mario Williams while quietly adding Branch, a former Jaguars bust, on a one-year, $2.5 million deal to serve as a backup. Williams busted in spectacular (if predictable) fashion, while Branch was a useful reserve, racking up 5.5 sacks and 12 hits on 430 pass-rush attempts.
You'd think the Dolphins would figure that most players will look effective playing next to two Hall of Fame-caliber defenders, and would therefore allow Branch to leave while signing the next buy-low opportunity to play alongside Suh and Wake. Instead, the Dolphins paid a hefty premium to keep Branch around, giving him $27 million over three years. Much depends on the structure of this deal, but in a draft exceedingly deep in pass-rushers, the Dolphins likely overpaid to hold on to a player they could have replaced at a fraction of the cost.
Updated Thursday, March 16: It turns out the structure of this deal is brutal. The Dolphins would have been foolish to give Branch $8 million per year while guaranteeing the first year of the contract, but it would have been only moderately risky. Instead, the Dolphins gave Branch a staggering $16.8 million in full guarantees, meaning that 70 percent of his total contract is guaranteed. The only other veteran end in football on a multiyear, nonrookie contract with a higher percentage of his money guaranteed is, not coincidentally, Cameron Wake. After Branch, the next-best guarantee for a defensive end is Brandon Graham, and his contract is 50 percent guaranteed.
Even worse, the Dolphins structured the deal in a way that reduces their cap hit in Year 1, holding Branch to a cap hit of $5 million. To make up for that, they guaranteed Branch a $10 million base salary for 2017, which is incredible for a player whose breakout season was 5.5 sacks and 12 knockdowns. The Dolphins would have been just fine if they had let Branch leave, made the totally reasonable trade they completed for William Hayes, and gone after another rotation piece such as Alex Okafor. Instead, they're committed to a guy who was considered replacement-level before last season and might be considered replacement-level after this upcoming season.
LB Kiko Alonso, Dolphins
Grade: D+
First, it was odd to see the Dolphins tender Alonso at the first-round level as a restricted free agent this offseason, as opposed to the original second-round tender. The difference amounted to a little under $2 million, and it's nearly impossible to believe that another team would have been sufficiently interested in the Oregon product to hand him a deal the Dolphins wouldn't have been willing to match and send Miami a second-round pick in the process.
The Dolphins, down their original third- and fourth-round picks after what appears to be an ill-fated trade up for WR Leonte Carroo last year, should have been delighted to get a second-round pick in a deep draft for Alonso. (They wouldn't have.) Instead, Miami has gone a step further by locking Alonso up on a long-term contract. His four-year deal will include that $3.9 million tender as part of a four-year, $29 million deal with $18.5 million in guarantees.
DE Andre Branch, Dolphins
Revised grade: F
Let's review: The Dolphins have one of the league's most expensive defensive lines, anchored by two elite players: Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake. The team wanted a third pass-rusher last offseason and paid a premium for Mario Williams while quietly adding Branch, a former Jaguars bust, on a one-year, $2.5 million deal to serve as a backup. Williams busted in spectacular (if predictable) fashion, while Branch was a useful reserve, racking up 5.5 sacks and 12 hits on 430 pass-rush attempts.
You'd think the Dolphins would figure that most players will look effective playing next to two Hall of Fame-caliber defenders, and would therefore allow Branch to leave while signing the next buy-low opportunity to play alongside Suh and Wake. Instead, the Dolphins paid a hefty premium to keep Branch around, giving him $27 million over three years. Much depends on the structure of this deal, but in a draft exceedingly deep in pass-rushers, the Dolphins likely overpaid to hold on to a player they could have replaced at a fraction of the cost.
Updated Thursday, March 16: It turns out the structure of this deal is brutal. The Dolphins would have been foolish to give Branch $8 million per year while guaranteeing the first year of the contract, but it would have been only moderately risky. Instead, the Dolphins gave Branch a staggering $16.8 million in full guarantees, meaning that 70 percent of his total contract is guaranteed. The only other veteran end in football on a multiyear, nonrookie contract with a higher percentage of his money guaranteed is, not coincidentally, Cameron Wake. After Branch, the next-best guarantee for a defensive end is Brandon Graham, and his contract is 50 percent guaranteed.
Even worse, the Dolphins structured the deal in a way that reduces their cap hit in Year 1, holding Branch to a cap hit of $5 million. To make up for that, they guaranteed Branch a $10 million base salary for 2017, which is incredible for a player whose breakout season was 5.5 sacks and 12 knockdowns. The Dolphins would have been just fine if they had let Branch leave, made the totally reasonable trade they completed for William Hayes, and gone after another rotation piece such as Alex Okafor. Instead, they're committed to a guy who was considered replacement-level before last season and might be considered replacement-level after this upcoming season.
Hes better than Torrey Smith. Follow the eagles way. Now that signing was an F.
Rick Cartman
It is what it is
This season already has a 7-9 vibe to it.
Dolphins81
Basement Dweller
randomname
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Good thing the signings themselves translate into actual wins... See us, forever.
I wish I got paid to grade free agent signings. I can’t think of a more irrelevant thing to care about.