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Dolphins’ contract move with Minkah Fitzpatrick offers cap relief, but hints at a deeper shift in team business

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kyle Crabbs | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 8:57 AM ET

The Miami Dolphins had a big domino fall over the weekend when they compromised on the contract of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The former Dolphins draft choice turned Steelers All-Pro returned to South Florida earlier this month and has been an active part of Miami’s early training camp practices, even logging the team’s first interception of camp on Saturday.

It wasn’t the most meaningful play of the weekend though. That distinction goes to his switch to agent Drew Rosenhaus in a bid to secure a new contract from the Dolphins and the subsequent adjustment that was announced on Sunday. All things considered, the Dolphins should feel good about the give and take involved, although the timing does admittedly make it frustrating to see this business get done amid ongoing efforts to sort out defensive tackle Zach Sieler and his contract. This team is trying to redefine their way of doing business of paying outsiders early and often — and Sieler has been a Dolphin for much longer during their respective current stints.

There were meaningful compromises in the Fitzpatrick agreement that should give both sides a win, though, and help Miami re-shape their perception. Fitzpatrick’s win is pretty straightforward. He gets incrementally more money this season and he gets the bulk of it upfront. But the Dolphins’ wins with this move are a little more nuanced.

Why it was important for the Dolphins to not cave on certain issues

The Dolphins and Fitzpatrick agreed on a contract adjustment that moves $2 million of Fitzpatrick’s 2026 compensation into 2025. His $17.5 million in compensation is now delivered primarily as a signing bonus, with the team paying him $16.245 as a signing bonus that can now be spread out across multiple years of the salary cap, giving the Dolphins needed cap space to operate throughout the season.

Based on the reporting of NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, it appears as though the Dolphins attached three void years behind the two remaining years of Fitzpatrick’s current contract — giving the Dolphins $11 million in cap savings.

$16.245M signing bonus divided by 5 years = $3.249M per year in cap accounting in '25 through '29

PLUS

$1.225M minimum salary in 2025

= $4.474M cap charge in 2025 ($11.026M in cap savings)@TomPelissero cap details confirm the Dolphins put three void years on the back of it https://t.co/8bQrxqUp9d
— Kyle Crabbs (@KyleCrabbs) July 27, 2025

The mechanics of the deal for cap accounting aside, here’s how the Dolphins can frame this re-working as a win amid their effort to do business differently:

Fitzpatrick got no new years and no new money as a first-year player. The total remaining value of his contract was two years for just over $32 million. His new total is the same — the team flip-flopped two million up from 2026 to 2025 but did not agree to any new money from a total value standpoint. The only guarantees for this adjustment are in 2025; meaning Miami’s commitment is $2 million more than it would have been otherwise.

Does that technically make it a pay raise? Sure. But both of the team’s nuclear contract moves last year, Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill, came with new guaranteed money in future years. Ramsey got new years on his contract, too. Miami avoiding both of those elements, particularly for a player who hasn’t played a snap with the team since 2019, does legitimately shift the mechanics of how the Dolphins struck a compromise with a player who wanted a bigger commitment. Not giving future guarantees and not giving new years on the front end of a relationship are barriers this team established with this domino.

It could have been very easy for the Dolphins to tell Minkah Fitzpatrick to kick rocks and play for $15.5 million in non-guaranteed money. Perhaps they still should have on the principle of trying to not let big names come in and throw their weight around in the name of happiness. But the Dolphins’ still made a concession in good faith, with Rosenhaus suggesting through reporting that they would like to continue progress towards a long-term deal.

If the Dolphins are serious about doing business differently, they’d be wise to let that one come after Fitzpatrick logs some more sweat equity in Miami; presumably after the 2025 season.

This first move serves as a good-faith first step towards an amicable working relationship, protects the Dolphins from the pitfalls of their 2024 contract dealings, and gets a potential fire put out before it starts.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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