The Dolphins have one last cap maneuver left this spring in case they decide they need it

Veteran linebacker Jordyn Brooks is the final frontier for the Miami Dolphins' cap flexibility between now and June 2nd, when the team will get more than $20 million in salary cap relief for the release of EDGE defender Bradley Chubb. After doing salary conversions for RB Devon Achane and Aaron Brewer amid the trade of WR Jaylen Waddle earlier this month, Brooks is the only player on the Dolphins' roster currently scheduled to carry a "base salary" in 2026 higher than $2.335 million.

Linebacker Tyrel Dodson's $2.335 million base salary is the only other one besides Brooks on the roster that's north of $1.8 million. Players are getting paid more, of course. But those payments are coming in the form of bonuses as Miami bridges their critical cap situation into 2027.

Base salary, of course, is the kind of compensation that can be converted to a bonus in order to create salary cap relief. And Brooks' amount would give the Dolphins approximately $5 million in cap wiggle room if they chose to tap into it at any point.

Brooks has been the subject of some trade whispers of his own and the fact that Miami has yet to touch his contract doesn't help to ease the speculation. But Brooks could just as easily be the team's "in case of emergency, break glass" cap move if a team offers a 'Godfather offer' for Achane — a move that would now cost the Dolphins an additional $2.5M more than his active $2.308M cap charge after the Dolphins paid most of Achane's current compensation up front. Or, alternatively, if the Dolphins were to target and acquire a player from another team elsewhere in the league and need to accommodate a new salary.

The levers have been pulled. The cap charges are being offload. And, for now, Jordyn Brooks is the last ounce of cap flexibility this new regime has this spring for if an undeniable transaction comes across their desk. Until June.