Was Raheem Right About His Pro Bowl Comments?

First off, let's point out that Smith made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, though we'd like that slide for the sake of argument.

Did the Dolphins treat Smith like dirt because they didn't want to give him the raise he felt he deserved after setting single-season franchise records for tight ends for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns?

Smith's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, indicated before the trade that discussions were ongoing with the team, therefore we're not ready to believe the Dolphins simply told Smith no new contract — unless indicated otherwise in the future.

Then it becomes an issue of what the team offered and what Smith wanted, and that's called a negotiation.

Did the Dolphins do Smith dirty by not giving in to his request when he still had a year left on his contract?

With Ramsey, exactly how did the Dolphins mistreat the seven-time Pro Bowl selection when they adjusted his contract — to the player's benefit — last September after they already had done that when they made the trade to get him from the Rams? Like, really?

Was there another type of mistreatment we're not aware of, like maybe calling out Ramsey for being late to meetings and things of that sort?

From the outside, though, it sure looked like the Dolphins went out of their way to please Ramsey — actually too much from this vantage point — particularly when he had two years left on his contract when he got it readjusted again last year.

Does this mean the Dolphins always take care of their players the way they should?

Of course not.

And the next potentially sticky negotiation will show us more because at it stands right now Zach Sieler is criminally underpaid at about $7 million per year when he's coming off back-to-back seasons with double-digits sacks as an interior defensive lineman, is a team captain and was named team MVP in 2024.

If the Dolphins play hardball with Sieler, then Mostert would have a point in this case, but that situation is fluid.

WHY MOSTERT LASHED OUT

Could be wrong, but Mostert's comments clearly reflect his unhappiness about his own situation was handled, and regardless of anyone feels about it it shouldn't have come as a surprise he got released.

Remember that Mostert had one year left on his contract when he had his Pro Bowl season of 2023 when he set a franchise record with 21 touchdowns.

The Dolphins then adjusted his contract last offseason with a signing bonus that gave an immediate raise, but it didn't include any guarantees for 2025.

Then the Dolphins selected Jaylen Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 draft after taking De'Von Achane a year before, and Mostert's performance drastically fell off due to a combination of an injury in the season opener, some costly fumbles and a really poor (3.3) rushing average.

With two young backs on the roster, the only way for the 30-something Mostert to have made it to the 2025 season with the Dolphins would have been to make it impossible for the team to cut him.

He didn't, so they did.

It's business. Was it harsh to release Mostert one year after his memorable 2023 performance?

For him, sure.

But this was about Mostert's own situation, an older running back coming off a disappointing season.

Look at the other Dolphins Pro Bowl selections of 2023. Ramsey got a new contract. So did Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.

And in Tyreek's case, he also had years left and the team really didn't need to do anything.

If anything, the Dolphins have been too generous in recent years with their front-line players.

And them deciding to stop giving everybody what they want isn't treating their players like spit.

But we can understand Mostert being bitter about his own situation.

It just doesn't make the Dolphins villains for how they handled the Ramsey and Smith situations.

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