Here are the issues the Dolphins are facing regarding Long:
1. Long opted out of the final year of the $57.5 million deal he signed as the No.1 pick of the 2008 draft, and will become a free agent in 2013 unless he re-signs before February.
2. Signing Long to a long-term deal benefits the Dolphins because it would create much-needed salary cap space, which could be used to redo Wake’s contract, preventing him from possibly becoming a camp holdout.
The Dolphins presently don’t have the cap space to re-sign Wake, who will be paid $615,000 and deserves a contract that pays him at least $8 million a season based on his production the past three years.
3. The Dolphins have a TON of players becoming free agents next season, but most will be allowed to test the market, which was flat this offseason for second-tier players, and could continue to remain flat.
4. Long is presently the highest paid player on the Dolphins’ roster, earning a base salary of $11.2 million this season. He has a cap figure of $12.8 million against the salary cap, and takes up about 10% of the team’s salary cap space.
5. The franchise tag for offensive linemen is $9.4 million this season, but because Long’s already one of the highest paid offensive linemen in the NFL, placing the franchise tag on him in 2013 would bump his salary up by 15 percent, which means he’d get a $1.68 million raise, increasing his salary in 2013 to $12.88.
6. The Dolphins need to re-sign one of their marquee free agents this season – either Wake or Long – because exposing one to the free agent market puts the team at risk of losing one to a bidding war. The easiest way to re-sign Wake is to create the salary cap room by signing Long to a multi-year deal that pays him a massive signing bonus, reducing Long’s cap number.
7. Considering Wake’s franchise tag is cheaper ($10.6 million), and he’s older (turned 30 in January), it would be wiser to place the franchise tag on Wake in 2013. But that would mean you’d made him play all of 2012 on a salary that’s one-fourth what kicker
Dan Carpenter is making.
8. Long’s camp isn’t interested in taking a pay cut, and to get a deal done he’d likely need a contract in the neighborhood of the one Joe Thomas got from Cleveland last season. The Browns gave Thomas a seven-year, $87 million deal that guaranteed Thomas $44 million. He’s slated to earn $42 million in the first three seasons.
9. If you don’t think Long’s agent isn’t using that contract as the framework of a deal for Long you clearly don’t know how the business side of the NFL works. Ireland prefers to give shorter contracts. Most of his deals are three-years, which prevents dead money from accumulating. But for a player of Long’s caliber he’d probably allow a five-year deal. But a seven-year deal is unrealistic.
10. The guaranteed money Long would likely need to get a deal done would more than likely include his 2012 salary ($11.2 million), and what it would cost to franchise him in 2013 ($12.88 million), which adds up to about $24 million. And it would be wise to throw another year’s salary on ($11-12 million) just to get into the neighborhood of Thomas’ deal.
11. Keep in mind a mere $24 million guarantee (or bonus) would exceed the entire four-year contract the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft would receive considering the Colts will pay Andrew Luck roughly $23 million over the next four years.
12. In fact, Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin, whom the Dolphins drafted with the 42nd pick in last week’s draft, will likely sign a four-year deal worth $4.701 million. So, the Dolphins could basically draft an entire offensive line of second-rounders for $24 million.
13. Owner Steve Ross doesn’t want to see either player leave Miami, and has admitted he’s willing to open up his wallet to retain the Dolphins’ best player. However, it is bad business to re-sign a player who is coming off an injury shortened season. Long has battled a lingering left knee issue for the past two seasons, and missed the final three games of the season with a biceps tear that has fully healed. That means the Dolphins might wait until midseason to re-do his deal. If he suffers another injury the price immediate drops.
Or the Dolphins could allow a healthy Long to test the free agent market, hope it remains flat, and gamble that the Dolphins don’t lose him like Houston lost Mario Williams to Buffalo this offseason.
It is a very complicated problem, which explains why Ireland is so sensitive about it.
