The Dolphins still have one notable contract item hanging out there as training camp for 2026 gets closer: Jordyn Brooks.
That’s the only real unfinished business on the books right now, and it’s not hard to see why the linebacker’s deal matters. Brooks is coming off an All-Pro season, he’s entering the final year of his contract, and he fits what Miami needs at this stage of its rebuild - production on the field, plus a voice in the room.
Miami has already taken care of two other key pieces this offseason. Running back De'Von Achane got an extension, and so did center Aaron Brewer.
Achane was the team MVP in 2025, while Brewer earned second-team All-Pro honors. New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said earlier in the offseason that locking up Achane was the first priority, which lined up with the fact that he’s younger than Brewer or Brooks.
The idea was to handle the other two later.
The Dolphins also created some room once Bradley Chubb’s post-June 1 release was processed, and that helped them sign the 2026 draft class along with Brewer’s extension. So the issue with Brooks hasn’t been a lack of cap maneuverability or some obvious roadblock. It’s been the usual thing: the team and the player still have to agree on compensation and term.
And that part can take time.
It doesn’t always happen quickly, and it doesn’t always happen at all. Christian Wilkins is the example here - he played on his fifth-year option in 2023, entered free agency the next offseason and eventually landed a huge deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
But when both sides want to make a deal, they usually find a way. Chris Grier made that point early in the 2024 offseason while talking about Tua Tagovailoa’s future, and the process played out the same way there. The Dolphins didn’t get Tagovailoa signed until July 26, after camp had already begun.
Zach Sieler’s recent extensions came together even later on the calendar, both in August, in 2023 and 2025. Alec Ingold also got a three-year extension at the very end of August in 2023.
So the fact that Brooks still doesn’t have a new contract doesn’t tell us much by itself.
Yes, there’s always a chance Miami could trade him if the right offer shows up, or let him play out the year and revisit things next spring, or even let him walk in free agency. But the more likely outcome still appears to be a new deal.
One encouraging sign: Brooks didn’t miss any spring work that was open to the media, including voluntary OTAs. That suggests he’s handling things more like Sieler did - showing up, doing the work and leaving the contract side to his agent. That’s different from Wilkins or Tagovailoa, who both used a “holding in” approach while negotiations played out.
For now, the Dolphins-Brooks situation looks like one to watch, not one to panic over. Recent history says it’s still too early for that.
In Other News...
Dolphins May Already Have Another Draft Class Problem Brewing
The Dolphins draft haul from the past two years is already setting up a fresh round of front-office decisions, and the calendar is moving faster than Miami would probably like. General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan will have to sort through a number of contract questions after the 2026 season, with Patrick Paul headed toward a contract year in 2027 and no fifth-year option to soften the timeline.
Chop Robinson gives Miami a different kind of decision because the club does have a fifth-year option in play, and his 2026 performance figures to weigh heavily on how the Dolphins handle it. Elsewhere in that same class and the one around it, Jaylen Wright is not viewed as a sure long-term piece, Tahj Washington is fighting for a place at all, and Malik Washington has shown enough growth to look like part of the plan for now before his own contract situation comes due after 2027. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins May Have Let 5 Costly Roster Mistakes Walk Away
Miamis offseason roster churn left the front office with a familiar question: how much depth can a team afford to lose before it starts feeling the effects in the fall? The Dolphins moved on from a handful of players or let them test the market, and several of those names have already found new homes elsewhere, including stops with the Chiefs, Chargers, Giants and 49ers. For a team trying to keep pace in a competitive AFC, those are the kinds of departures that can look routine in March and a lot more significant once the games start counting.
What makes the situation worth watching is that this is not just about star power, but about the supporting cast that helps a roster hold together over a long season. Miamis decision-making around players such as Kader Kohou, Cole Strange, Elijah Campbell, Jack Jones and Alec Ingold could end up being judged less by what it saved in the moment and more by what it leaves exposed later. The real test will come when the Dolphins need reliable snaps, familiar roles and answers from the bottom and middle of the roster, and those are the spots that are hardest to replace on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Hill And Waddle Fell Agonizingly Short Of Dolphins History
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle did plenty in Miami to leave a mark, but when it comes to the Dolphins all-time receiving yards list, both former stars ended up just short of history. O.J. McDuffie still owns the fifth and final spot on that leaderboard with 5,074 yards, a number that has become a small but stubborn benchmark for every wideout who has come through the building since.
Hill was closer than most people might realize, and Waddle was even nearer to becoming one of the five most productive receivers in franchise history. Instead, the current Miami pass-catching group is staring up at a record book that still feels a long way off, with Malik Washington leading the active receivers but nowhere near putting McDuffies place in real danger anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]