Dolphins Bid Farewell to Four Tenured Defensive Players

[TheFish]

It goes without saying that a team must draft well on an annual basis to sustain success in the National Football League. The salary cap structure and rookie contracts arguably make the NFL draft the most important draft of the four major professional sports leagues. Ideally, an NFL team finds three to four starters per draft class over a four-year period. This allows a team to fill many starter positions with players on rookie deals and lower guaranteed salaries, which frees up cash to fill the remaining holes in free agency. Most players’ only shot at a major payday comes at the end of their rookie contract. In life, money drives many things, whether they’re right or wrong—almost everything if we’re being honest with ourselves. It is no different in the National Football League. In a perfect world, our favorite players would play for our favorite teams their entire careers. However, we all know the world isn’t perfect. Over the past two weeks, the Dolphins organization and Dolphins fans have had to see the uglier side of money-driving decisions. The off-season “Capacalypse” began with the announcement that longtime star cornerback Xavien Howard will be released when the league year begins on Wednesday. Howard’s designation as a post-June 1 cut will save the team $18.5 million in cap space. “X” spent the past eight seasons in Miami and will surely go down as one of the greatest defensive players in team history. Howard was a four-time Pro-Bowler (2018 and 2020-2022) and led the league in interceptions in 2018 and 2020 with seven and ten picks, respectively. Given his age and existing contract, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins and Howard would part ways this off-season. Rumor has it that he could look to return home to Houston. Approximately a week after the announcement of Xavien Howard’s release, the Dolphins cut ties with linebacker Jerome Baker. Like Howard, Baker was drafted by the Dolphins and spent the past six seasons patrolling the middle of the defense. Injuries certainly played a factor in the decision. By releasing Baker, the Dolphins will save $9.8 million against the salary cap this season. In six seasons with the Dolphins, Baker totaled 587 tackles, 22.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, five interceptions and two touchdowns. I’ll certainly remember his warrior-like performance against the Bills in week 18. The Dolphins entered Monday’s legal tampering period knowing they would already be without at least two defensive starters from last season. And that’s not factoring in the injury recoveries for Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. As news began to leak over the past few days, it seemed increasingly likely that number would increase. Christian Wilkins has been a first-class player and person since joining the Miami Dolphins organization in 2019. A two-time champion at Clemson, Wilkins was drafted 13th overall by the Dolphins. As a rookie on a rebuilding team, he helped shift the Miami culture immediately. Wilkins enjoyed a true breakout season in 2022 and had another stellar year in 2023, finishing with nine sacks. Wilkins and fellow defensive tackle Zach Sieler formed a special bond over the past few years and coined themselves “Salt-N-Pepper.” On top of his incredible on-field production, Wilkins has served as a team captain and union rep for the NFLPA. He has also participated actively in the Dolphins Cancer Challenge through the years. Unfortunately, almost all good things come to an end. It’s practically inevitable in life. After failing to reach a long-term extension with the Dolphins the past two off-seasons, Christian Wilkins hit the jackpot in Las Vegas. When the legal tampering period opened at Noon on Monday, Wilkins agreed to a four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders. He will receive $84.75 million guaranteed, a staggering amount for a DT. As if the Wilkins news didn’t sting enough, Dolphins fans got word that another defensive stalwart was leaving town. And the team and, presumably, the coach he left for will surely draw the ire of Fins fans. Linebacker, Andrew Van Ginkel, also known as “Gink” and “Hugh Wang,” signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Van Ginkel will receive $14 million guaranteed and reunite with former Dolphins coach Brian Flores in Minneapolis. Like Wilkins, Van Ginkel was part of the Dolphins’ 2019 draft class. As a fifth-rounder out of Wisconsin, he didn’t have the immediate pressure to perform like Wilkins, but he slowly grew into his role over the years. After his rookie contract ended in 2022, Van Ginkel signed a one-year deal to stay in Miami and learn under incoming defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. It proved to be the correct decision. 2023 saw Vin Ginkel reach new heights as a pro. He finished with 69 tackles, six sacks, eight passes defended, a fumble recovery and a pick-six. With Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips’ brutal season-ending injuries last year, Dolphins fans were hopeful that the team would strike a long-term deal with Van Ginkel. $14 million guaranteed over two years certainly isn’t a big number, but it’s hard to tell how negotiations went between his agent and the team. With the departures of Xavien Howard, Jerome Baker, Christian Wilkins, and Andrew Van Ginkel, the Miami Dolphins are turning over a new leaf on the defensive side of the ball. The four players combined for 24 years of service time with the team. The average six-year tenure per player is nearly double that of the average NFL career of 3.3 years. As a fan, I appreciate all they did for the Dolphins and wish them luck. “I tried, you tried, we tried. All of the times that we had together. We should’ve known nothing lasts forever.”

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