Safety Stories: Holland Leaves, Campbell Stays

The Miami Dolphins entered the offseason with three safeties headed for free agency, and the outcome has now been determined for two of them.

Not long ago reports of Jevon Holland agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with the New York Giants came word that Elijah Campbell had agreed to return to the Dolphins on a one-year deal.

That leaves veteran Jordan Poyer as the one safety whose status remains undetermined, with the likelihood that the Dolphins will not be bringing him back.

HOLLAND'S DEPARTURE WAS EXPECTED

Holland easily was the biggest Dolphins free agent this offseason — the only reason it wouldn't be Calais Campbell is his age — and it was pretty clear he was going to move on given Mike McDaniel's statement at the combine that the organization felt he had earned the right to test the market.

Another way to put it is the Dolphins weren't willing to go to a place financially that would have been needed to keep Holland in Miami.

Holland got a deal from the Giants reportedly worth $15.1 million annually, though it could ultimately reach $15.6 million.

Holland's annual average is right about at the number of the transition tag, which the Dolphins could have applied even for no other reason than to trade the safety. But then the Dolphins would have been hit with that cap hit immediately and been stuck with Holland at that price tag if they couldn't find a team willing to give up draft pick compensation in addition to a long-term contract.

In the end, the Dolphins decided that cost didn't justify keeping Holland, who was a four-year starter for the team after arriving as a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft and was a good safety for Miami, even if his performance didn't quite match his reputation in certain circles.

Holland had a couple of memorable plays for Miami, most notably his pick-six on the "Fail Mary" against the New York Jets on Black Friday in 2023 and his forced fumble that turned around the 2024 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it always felt as though there could be or maybe should be more in his performance.

Maybe he'll deliver that with the Giants in the same way Brandon Jones and DeShon Elliott raised their game after leaving as free agents last year for the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.

For the Dolphins, this simply was about maximizing — or trying to — the dollars spent.

CAMPBELL COMES BACK AGAIN

In the case of Elijah Campbell, this will mark the fourth consecutive year he signs a one-year contract with the Dolphins, this one reportedly worth $1.9 million.

After being claimed off waivers from the New York Jets in 2021, he re-signed as an exclusive-rights free agent in 2022 and 2023 and then as a restricted free agent in 2024.

While he has made one start in the secondary in each of the past three seasons, Campbell's value always has been on special teams, where he's averaged a hair under 300 snaps the past three seasons.

Given the price tag and his value on special teams, Campbell always figured to have a strong possibility of returning in 2025, as we predicted in our final Dolphins free agent forecast.

DOLPHINS FREE AGENT SCORECARD
as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday

Agreed to terms
QB Zach Wilson (Denver)
G James Daniels (Pittsburgh)
OL Larry Borom (Chicago)
S Ifeatu Melifonwu (Detroit)

Re-signed
DT Matt Dickerson
S Elijah Campbell

Lost to another team
WR Braxton Berrios (Houston)
G Robert Jones (Dallas)
S Jevon Holland (N.Y. Giants)

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