The top pending free agent for the Dolphins will be staying in Miami. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the pass rusher is signing a four-year, $65M deal (Twitter link). He adds that the deal includes $32M in guarantees.
What the team would do with Ogbah, 28, was one of the biggest remaining questions for the Dolphins. As expected, they placed the franchise tag on tight end Mike Gesicki rather than Ogbah — something which was far less expensive.
That led many to believe the former second-rounder would test the open market, where he would have landed a similarly lucrative deal. Instead, the Dolphins have secured their top pass rusher for less than what the franchise tag would have cost ($16.25M annual average as opposed to $17.859M on the tag).
Ogbah has proven his worth during his time with the Dolphins. With nine sacks in each of the previous two campaigns, he established himself as the team’s top pass rusher and an integral part of the defensive unit as a whole. It also earned him a significant raise from the $15M he made in total after signing in Miami.
While this deal will eat up a significant portion of the Dolphins’ cap space, the team will still comfortably be under the limit. That flexibility will give them the option to make at least one significant signing when free agency opens later this week, as many expect them to.
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