Yep, this defense spends the 4th most in the NFL on defense (current projection for 2018 is $94,728,563, behind only the Jags, Broncos, and Chiefs)
Where does that $94M+ come from?
Suh, 26.1M—Huge number for a player who is very good at what he does, but not as impactful as guys like Aaron Donald and Fletcher Cox.
Reshad Jones, 11.575M—Large number for a really solid player, but again, not the most impactful safety in the league. Definitely one of Miami's best players, and when used properly, is worth most of that money.
Andre Branch, 10M—This is the most puzzling contract on this team. Branch has 10 sacks in two years, so an average of 5 sacks per year. Essentially, Branch is making 2M per sack if he keeps that average up. Absolutely horrendous contract.
Kiko Alonso, 9.6M—another puzzling contract. Miami could have had Kiko play on the tender for another season and had money to spend elsewhere, but instead, hugely bet that Kiko would DRASTICALLY improve on his play from 2016. As we saw this year, Kiko is a liability in coverage and often takes poor angles or guesses wrong. Not as bad as the Branch contract, but it's approaching F territory.
Cameron Wake, 8.6M—Wake has been everything we've hoped he would be when we signed him from the CFL. He's had a great career in Miami and has enjoyed recognition as one of the most feared pass rushers in the league. However, Wake just turned 36 and has essentially only retained his usefulness in passing situations. Of the contracts listed, this is the only one so far that Miami can reasonably get out of. I'm sure Wake would continue playing in 2018, but Miami needs to think about the future and getting younger at one of the most important positions on the field.
Lawrence Timmons, $8.225—We should consider this contract, like Kiko and Branch, robbery. Timmons absolutely had money as his number one priority when signing last season, and though he had some moments, his play throughout the season was inconsistent and toward the end, pretty poor. This is an obvious cut, especially after that weird AWOL incident.
Total amount for these 6 players? A little over $74M.
And for fun, below I'll list what I think each player should be worth.
Suh—$17M
Reshad Jones—$8.5M
Andre Branch—$4M
Kiko Alonso—$4M
Cameron Wake—$6M
Lawrence Timmons—5M
Total—$44.5M
So Miami, in my opinion, should be paying about 60% of what it currently pays, which at 44.5M, would somewhat match the performance on the field.
All I have to say is yikes. Miami tried to get cute and show players in the locker room loyalty by offering multi-year, "more money than they're actually worth", contracts. And it's biting us in the ass. Hard.
Where does that $94M+ come from?
Suh, 26.1M—Huge number for a player who is very good at what he does, but not as impactful as guys like Aaron Donald and Fletcher Cox.
Reshad Jones, 11.575M—Large number for a really solid player, but again, not the most impactful safety in the league. Definitely one of Miami's best players, and when used properly, is worth most of that money.
Andre Branch, 10M—This is the most puzzling contract on this team. Branch has 10 sacks in two years, so an average of 5 sacks per year. Essentially, Branch is making 2M per sack if he keeps that average up. Absolutely horrendous contract.
Kiko Alonso, 9.6M—another puzzling contract. Miami could have had Kiko play on the tender for another season and had money to spend elsewhere, but instead, hugely bet that Kiko would DRASTICALLY improve on his play from 2016. As we saw this year, Kiko is a liability in coverage and often takes poor angles or guesses wrong. Not as bad as the Branch contract, but it's approaching F territory.
Cameron Wake, 8.6M—Wake has been everything we've hoped he would be when we signed him from the CFL. He's had a great career in Miami and has enjoyed recognition as one of the most feared pass rushers in the league. However, Wake just turned 36 and has essentially only retained his usefulness in passing situations. Of the contracts listed, this is the only one so far that Miami can reasonably get out of. I'm sure Wake would continue playing in 2018, but Miami needs to think about the future and getting younger at one of the most important positions on the field.
Lawrence Timmons, $8.225—We should consider this contract, like Kiko and Branch, robbery. Timmons absolutely had money as his number one priority when signing last season, and though he had some moments, his play throughout the season was inconsistent and toward the end, pretty poor. This is an obvious cut, especially after that weird AWOL incident.
Total amount for these 6 players? A little over $74M.
And for fun, below I'll list what I think each player should be worth.
Suh—$17M
Reshad Jones—$8.5M
Andre Branch—$4M
Kiko Alonso—$4M
Cameron Wake—$6M
Lawrence Timmons—5M
Total—$44.5M
So Miami, in my opinion, should be paying about 60% of what it currently pays, which at 44.5M, would somewhat match the performance on the field.
All I have to say is yikes. Miami tried to get cute and show players in the locker room loyalty by offering multi-year, "more money than they're actually worth", contracts. And it's biting us in the ass. Hard.
