The Dolphins Should Pay De’Von Achane

The Dolphins Should Pay De’Von Achane

On Tuesday, the Jeff Hafley era officially began with the start of voluntary offseason workouts.

However, star running back De’Von Achane was nowhere to be seen. Achane was a third-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2023 and has quickly established himself as one of the premier players at his position. He’s also one of the only true stars on the Dolphins roster, so his absence was a cause for concern for many fans. 

Achane is coming off his first season with over 1,000 rushing yards, but he has surpassed the 1,000 total yard mark in each of the last two seasons. When a player is holding out, there are usually only two options for how it ends: either they are traded, or they get paid. It is very rare that a player returns to the team empty-handed. 

I believe that the new regime intends to keep Achane, when asked about him being a no show, Jeff Hafley didn’t seem too concerned. 

“Those are talks for another time between Achane, Sully, and those guys,” He said. “I’m not going to dive into those talks right now. That’s part of the business, it’s part of what every team goes through in those situations, and they’ll work it out.”

Still, that hasn’t stopped people who cover other teams from throwing out possible trade scenarios. Heavy.com writer Erik Anderson suggested the possibility that Seattle could trade for the Pro Bowler.

I’m not saying it is impossible, given Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III has signed with the Chiefs, but it is also the type of greed they write about in the bible. 

The Viking Age writer Brad Berreman wrote about a dream in which Minnesota sends a 2026 third-round pick and a fifth for Achane. I say it’s a dream because that cost feels incredibly low for a player of Achane’s talents, even factoring in his desire for a new contract. 

The Dolphins are in a spot where they need to retain as much talent as possible. After releasing Tyreek Hill and trading Jaylen Waddle, fans are reasonably upset at the lack of skill players on Miami’s roster. If Achane is traded as well, you could face a full-on revolt.

At a certain point you have to commit money to the players you drafted, not just for the fans but as a signal to other players that their hard work and production will be rewarded. So all of this is to say that I expect Achane’s holdout to end sooner rather than later, as the two sides will come to an agreement on an extension. 

If I’m wrong, please come back to this article and let me know in the comments. Or if you disagree now, let me know why. 

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