phinsforlife
Active Roster
Below is a scatter plot of 2025 cap space versus roster age. This analysis is also a good way of looking at how effective a GM has been. The x-axis is 2025 cap space, and the y-axis is roster age (first being oldest, 32nd being youngest).
You are in a good place if you are young and have a lot of cap space. You are in a tough spot if you are old, and don’t have much cap space. You want to be as close to the upper right corner as you can be – young and with a lot of money. The Dolphins sadly are about as far from the upper right corner as you can be. Green Bay (who just pantsed us), has a QB who is getting paid the same as Tua, still has a lot of cap space, and the youngest roster in the NFL. That is the definition of well run, especially because they are good, and they also won a playoff game last year!
There are exceptions to the rule. If you are old, and don’t have a lot of cap space, but are good, and likely to keep being good because of your QB or something else, that is not a bad spot to be in. That is Buffalo, for example. I didn’t know how to add the third dimension of current record, but if I was able to do that, the chart would also show that the Dolphins are a mess in 3-D.
In addition to being old and up against the cap, we have a losing record, probably won’t make the playoffs, and last year couldn’t win the division or a playoff game. We went all in, and all we ended up with is a big mess. This is akin to doing a crap ton of heroin, and not even getting high. Or going to a brothel, and not getting any action!
For those who say, well cap space can be moved around, that argument does not work. Cap space is a relative issue. All teams can move money around. Those that don’t have to move money around, and have a lot of free space, have a huge advantage getting deals done in free agency, as well as keeping their own players. The Dolphins had to let Wilkins, Hunt, and AVG go last year, because they were at the point choices had to be made. I am not trying to argue pro or con Wilkins and Hunt, but am just point out the fact we had to let them go because we didn’t have the money to keep them, and then also pay the other guys we wanted to keep (some of whom are probably mistakes I still don’t understand paying through the nose with term for Ramsey at his age, for example).
Further if I added a 4th dimension, the Dolphins would even look worse again. The 4th dimension would be called duration of the cap problem. Some teams who look to be in a tough spot in 2025 may be eating their final cap hits then. The Dolphins have already pushed so much money into the future, they will be dealing with this problem for years. For example, Tua’s cap hits only partially kick in next year, and will not be fully felt until 2026. Waddle is shoved out until 2027 and 2028. We have already restructured so many deals, and pushed so much money into the future, Over the Cap has us with bottom 5 cap space for 2026 and 2027 too! Again remember cap space is a relative issue, so even if we can move more money around then, we are just on a continual treadmill with no real freedom. It is akin to running in place to stand still.
My view – two possible things can happen. Continue to extend and pretend, and we will have years of mediocrity or you start dealing pieces of for draft capital and cap relief. I would start with the WR position if we can strike a good deal for Waddle or Tyreek. You just cannot have that much cap space tied up in the WR position. And you really don’t need to either – there is only one football to go around.
You need the rosiest of rose colored glasses to think there is a solution that allows us to get better on paper next year. We have a deficient roster. There are too many holes, and no freedom to clean them up. In fact, given the cap situation, we are going to have to purge more talent next year, and some of our big money guys like Tyreek, Ramsey and Armstead (if he is here) will be a year older too.
On paper we are only going to be getting worse next year. Even if we did deals and got draft picks, you need to draft really well, and draft picks take time to develop. It takes year to rebuild though the draft – you need to stack good drafts on top of each other (something Grier has not been able to do tactically or strategically re team building), and it just takes time.
We have gone all in, and all we got for it is a big stinking mess and an unsolvable problem. How Ross can look at this situation and keep Grier is beyond me, but if I were forced to bet, he still keeps Grier (and McDaniel). If he doesn’t, I cannot imagine a competent GM wanting to step into this mess. It is a no win situation.
Chart is below, and below that is the table with all the data so you can figure out which team is which.
You are in a good place if you are young and have a lot of cap space. You are in a tough spot if you are old, and don’t have much cap space. You want to be as close to the upper right corner as you can be – young and with a lot of money. The Dolphins sadly are about as far from the upper right corner as you can be. Green Bay (who just pantsed us), has a QB who is getting paid the same as Tua, still has a lot of cap space, and the youngest roster in the NFL. That is the definition of well run, especially because they are good, and they also won a playoff game last year!
There are exceptions to the rule. If you are old, and don’t have a lot of cap space, but are good, and likely to keep being good because of your QB or something else, that is not a bad spot to be in. That is Buffalo, for example. I didn’t know how to add the third dimension of current record, but if I was able to do that, the chart would also show that the Dolphins are a mess in 3-D.
In addition to being old and up against the cap, we have a losing record, probably won’t make the playoffs, and last year couldn’t win the division or a playoff game. We went all in, and all we ended up with is a big mess. This is akin to doing a crap ton of heroin, and not even getting high. Or going to a brothel, and not getting any action!
For those who say, well cap space can be moved around, that argument does not work. Cap space is a relative issue. All teams can move money around. Those that don’t have to move money around, and have a lot of free space, have a huge advantage getting deals done in free agency, as well as keeping their own players. The Dolphins had to let Wilkins, Hunt, and AVG go last year, because they were at the point choices had to be made. I am not trying to argue pro or con Wilkins and Hunt, but am just point out the fact we had to let them go because we didn’t have the money to keep them, and then also pay the other guys we wanted to keep (some of whom are probably mistakes I still don’t understand paying through the nose with term for Ramsey at his age, for example).
Further if I added a 4th dimension, the Dolphins would even look worse again. The 4th dimension would be called duration of the cap problem. Some teams who look to be in a tough spot in 2025 may be eating their final cap hits then. The Dolphins have already pushed so much money into the future, they will be dealing with this problem for years. For example, Tua’s cap hits only partially kick in next year, and will not be fully felt until 2026. Waddle is shoved out until 2027 and 2028. We have already restructured so many deals, and pushed so much money into the future, Over the Cap has us with bottom 5 cap space for 2026 and 2027 too! Again remember cap space is a relative issue, so even if we can move more money around then, we are just on a continual treadmill with no real freedom. It is akin to running in place to stand still.
My view – two possible things can happen. Continue to extend and pretend, and we will have years of mediocrity or you start dealing pieces of for draft capital and cap relief. I would start with the WR position if we can strike a good deal for Waddle or Tyreek. You just cannot have that much cap space tied up in the WR position. And you really don’t need to either – there is only one football to go around.
You need the rosiest of rose colored glasses to think there is a solution that allows us to get better on paper next year. We have a deficient roster. There are too many holes, and no freedom to clean them up. In fact, given the cap situation, we are going to have to purge more talent next year, and some of our big money guys like Tyreek, Ramsey and Armstead (if he is here) will be a year older too.
On paper we are only going to be getting worse next year. Even if we did deals and got draft picks, you need to draft really well, and draft picks take time to develop. It takes year to rebuild though the draft – you need to stack good drafts on top of each other (something Grier has not been able to do tactically or strategically re team building), and it just takes time.
We have gone all in, and all we got for it is a big stinking mess and an unsolvable problem. How Ross can look at this situation and keep Grier is beyond me, but if I were forced to bet, he still keeps Grier (and McDaniel). If he doesn’t, I cannot imagine a competent GM wanting to step into this mess. It is a no win situation.
Chart is below, and below that is the table with all the data so you can figure out which team is which.
2025 | Roster Age | |
Cap Space | Oldest | |
| Patriots | $132,508,830 | 21 |
| Cardinals | $113,435,282 | 15 |
| Raiders | $112,191,156 | 26 |
| Commanders | $99,844,458 | 8 |
| Bears | $82,037,877 | 10 |
| Vikings | $76,467,385 | 5 |
| Chargers | $76,142,855 | 28 |
| Titans | $65,002,520 | 19 |
| Bengals | $64,686,259 | 3 |
| Packers | $62,749,872 | 32 |
| Lions | $62,061,023 | 22 |
| Jaguars | $61,818,617 | 20 |
| Giants | $60,280,222 | 24 |
| Broncos | $57,898,450 | 30 |
| Rams | $55,691,158 | 31 |
| Steelers | $53,929,547 | 9 |
| Colts | $50,795,039 | 23 |
| 49ers | $49,239,267 | 7 |
| Panthers | $33,604,119 | 2 |
| Jets | $32,844,610 | 11 |
| Eagles | $32,062,970 | 27 |
| Buccaneers | $24,588,829 | 29 |
| Cowboys | $23,125,460 | 14 |
| Chiefs | $21,880,672 | 25 |
| Ravens | $17,991,981 | 17 |
| Texans | $14,554,366 | 12 |
| Bills | $8,111,553 | 1 |
| Falcons | $7,471,301 | 13 |
| Dolphins | $3,696,220 | 6 |
| Seahawks | ($7,027,972) | 18 |
| Browns | ($14,412,572) | 4 |
| Saints | ($62,801,756) | 16 |
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