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With the NFL Trade Deadline less than a month away, the hot topic surrounding the Miami Dolphins is whether they will be buyers or sellers.
Of course, a lot will depend on whether Miami is able to win a few games against the Colts, Cardinals, and Bills between now and then. But should Miami only win one of those games or none, their odds of making the playoffs will be slim.
You have to face the harsh reality that the season is lost, and it may be time to start thinking of the future. Jevon Holland , one of the best players on the Dolphins’ roster, is in the final year of his contract. Should Chris Grier look to move him now and get compensation in return for him?
Holland has been eligible for a contract extension for a while now. Still, Miami has prioritized players like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey, and Tua Tagovailoa ahead of him, getting them new deals—or, in the case of Hill, a reworked deal with a boatload of new money.
There is no question that Jevon Holland is a superstar and one of the best safeties in the NFL, and he has played very well in the defense Anthony Weaver has installed in Miami.
However, we also know how Chris Grier operates since he has been the general manager since 2016; he only gives out big-money contract extensions to players who play premium positions.
Those p ositions are quarterback, offensive tackle, wide receiver, edge rusher, and cornerback. Holland does not play a premium position.
Robert Hunt, Christian Wilkins, and many other elite players who were up for extensions never got them in Miami under Grier. The list of non-premium position players who leave Miami and get paid elsewhere is very long.
Will Holland follow suit?
Last offseason, Antoine Winfield signed a four-year contract for $84.1 million, with $45 million guaranteed. Holland and his team of agents will demand more money from that, and he will get it from someone once he is on the open market.
Miami can use the franchise tag, but they are not in a very good salary cap position to do so.
Miami will enter the 2025 offseason with the third-worst salary cap situation in the NFL, with only $4.2 million available, according to OvertheCap.com.
Last offseason, the franchise tag number for Safties was $17.1 million; of course, it will go up some in 2025.
This means Miami would have to clear $13 million of cap space just to put the tag on Holland. And that would leave them with no salary cap space to make any moves in free agency. So, using the franchise tag isn’t a realistic option for the Dolphins’ organization.
Here is the reason why trading Holland now before November 5th (assuming Miami continues to lose games and is not a team trending towards making the playoffs or doing any real damage in the playoffs) makes the most sense.
If you let him walk as a free agent and he signs with another team, yes you will get a compensatory pick in 2026. The compensatory pick will be at the end of Rd 3 (which is really the start of Rd 4), and in that 2026 offseason, you cannot make any big signings as that would offset getting the compensatory pick for Holland. So it handcuffs you in many ways.
If you trade Holland now to a team that wants him, you could get a 2nd or 3rd round pick in 2025. That helps you immediately next offseason, and you don’t have to worry about playing the compensatory pick game while making a signing that will hurt the compensatory pick.
It just makes too much sense.
But what will Chris Grier do?
Obviously, if Miami rolls off three straight wins between now and the trade deadline, they will likely be leading the AFC East and on the way to the playoffs, one would think so. No, you don’t trade Holland.
But does anyone realistically believe Miami will win three straight based on how they have played this year? It’s more realistic to think they would lose three straight.
But what if they go 1-2? You are 3-5, with the toughest part of your schedule still in front of you. You won’t have Jaelan Phillips, and there is no word on when Chubb will return.
Sometimes, you have to step back and look at the big picture and the greater good beyond 2024. And if Grier has no intention of re-signing Holland or using the Franchise Tag on him (something he really hasn’t done with non-premium position players), then trading Holland now makes all the sense in the world.
It will be something to follow over the next three weeks, and Holland’s broken hand complicates this. But assuming the hand injury is only a four-month injury or something he can play through with a cast, that shouldn’t really have much effect on whether Miami decides to move Holland now or hold onto him for the remainder of the season and see what happens in March.
More must-reads:
- 49ers pull off trade for disgruntled Commanders star
- Falcons HC speaks out after offensive starter gets carted off practice field with concerning injury
- The 'Second-leading receiver by NFL team' quiz
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Cowboys' Micah Parsons seen taking bizarre action in preseason finale
Micah Parsons showed up for the Dallas Cowboys' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons in body only. The star pass-rusher showed no spirit and did not dress amid his hold-in for a contract extension. On Thursday, Parsons scrubbed the Cowboys from his social media feed. During Friday's game, he couldn't be bothered to be with his teammates on the sideline watching the whole game. Per a photo posted on X by The Athletic's Jon Machota, Parsons was seen lying down on a trainer's table during the contest. Parsons' actions come amid a turbulent week between his representation and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. In separate interviews, Jones told both Michael Irvin and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he did not plan to back down from his agreement with Parsons to work with agent David Mulugheta. During the pregame show on Friday, Jones boasted to 105.3 The Fan that defensive end is where the Cowboys have the most depth on the roster. "Frankly, our defensive ends may be the best depth, where we have the most talent of any position on the field," Jones said via Machota. "I'm excited about our depth and our numbers at pass rusher. ... I'm concerned because of having space on the roster to keep that many of our guys that have pass rushing ability." Following Friday night's game, the Cowboys' preseason is over. The situation between Jones and Parsons is not ideal for first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is tasked with trimming the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. If Parsons is traded or chooses not to play in Week 1, Schottenheimer is going to have to decide to take away depth from what Jones sees as a weaker part of the team to boost a unit that is without their best player because he won't negotiate with Mulugheta.
Green Bay Packers: Luke Musgrave’s Wife’s Stunned Reaction to Jordan Love’s Wife’s Personal Post
These college QBs are set to earn millions in 2025
Quarterback is the most important position in football, and the money given to top signal-callers — both in the NFL and at the collegiate level — supports that. On3's Pete Nakos detailed on Thursday what some of the top quarterbacks in college football will earn during the upcoming season. Nakos writes that at least five QBs will make roughly $3 million in the 2025 campaign, while more than 20 starting quarterbacks will command at least $1 million. It's important, for context, to note that these financial figures include direct revenue-sharing from schools and/or NIL deals from third-party collectives. Leading the way among 2025 quarterbacks is Duke's Darian Mensah. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound redshirt sophomore, from San Luis Obispo, Calif., will earn $4 million this year, part of a two-year, $8 million contract with the Blue Devils. Mensah transferred to Duke from Tulane, where in 2024 he threw for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions. True freshman Bryce Underwood of Michigan is set to collect $3 million this season, which is a massive number for someone who has never taken an official snap in college. Still, the 6-foot-4, 228-pound Underwood is a significant contender to win the Wolverines' starting QB job in 2025. The native of Belleville, Mich., was the No. 1 national prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Redshirt senior Carson Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami in the offseason, and he will make $3 million to $3.2 million this season to start, in a deal that could be worth up to $6 million with incentives, per Nakos. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Beck, who is from Jacksonville, Fla., tallied 3,485 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024. According to the On3 article, Nebraska's Dylan Raiola will earn more than $3 million in total compensation during the 2025 season. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore, who hails from Buford, Ga., threw for 2,819 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a true freshman. Last year, Raiola guided the Cornhuskers to a 7-6 record and a bowl-game triumph. Drew Allar will look to lead Penn State on another deep College Football Playoff run in 2025, and the senior quarterback will earn at least $3 million during the upcoming campaign. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Allar, from Medina, Ohio, threw for 3,327 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions a year ago as Penn State made the CFP semifinals. The Nittany Lions are No. 2 in the preseason Associated Press top-25 poll. Other quarterbacks who are expected to make big bucks in the 2025 season include Oklahoma's John Mateer ($2.5 million to $3 million), Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia (at least $2 million), Kansas State's Avery Johnson (at least $2 million), South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers ($1.8 million), TCU's Josh Hoover ($1.75 million) and Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby ($1.5 million to $1.7 million), among others.
'Off the table': Cowboys have strong stance on Micah Parsons as saga gets uglier
Following Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones‘ latest comments on the Micah Parsons situation, the All-Pro pass-rusher took the increasingly common step of scrubbing his X profile of Cowboys material. The Cowboys have been known to prolong negotiations, regardless of price hikes, and they are well down this road once again with another standout. Multiple teams have inquired about Parsons’ availability, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said during a "SportsCenter" appearance. Nothing is moving on that front, as Dallas continues to hold tight during its latest contract saga. That aligns with what we heard last week, with GMs indicating they have not gotten the sense Parsons is available following his trade request. Noting it would take a Herschel Walker-like offer for the Cowboys to move Parsons, so it's "off the table," and Fowler points to team optimism a deal can still be finalized before the season. It should also be noted Parsons’ camp is less optimistic. Jones attempting to go around high-powered agent David Mulugheta in negotiations has understandably irked Parsons, who employs an agent to negotiate his contract. The longtime Cowboys owner referencing a $200M guarantee also reflects what is likely a five- or six-year Dallas extension offer. With the cap soaring annually, players are increasingly opting against long-term deals. The Cowboys prefer them, but it is notable Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb convinced the team to budge here by each scoring four-year extensions. It would surprise if Parsons signed for beyond four years, but Jones continues to reference his negotiations with the player — talks Parsons classified as informal — this offseason. A Cowboys source mentioned the 49ers’ Nick Bosa situation re: Parsons. San Francisco did not have Bosa signed until four days before the 2023 regular season. Bosa played in Week 1 despite holding out until his extension was done. Parsons has spoken out about how not practicing during a negotiation can negatively impact a season, and he long preferred to have his deal done by training camp. The Cowboys are well past that artificial deadline, as these talks now remind of the Prescott and Lamb pace. Neither of those performers requested a trade, which is a notable difference between this Parsons back-and-forth and previous Cowboys extension struggles. While Fowler adds Mulugheta certainly didn’t tell Jones to stick the team’s offer “up their (expletive),” the Cowboys going to these lengths to avoid dealing with one of the game’s top agents has been an interesting chapter. Jones taking this route is not out of character. But Parsons taking issue with it to the degree he has would seem to require the team to change course and huddle up with Mulugheta — if the intent is to finalize a deal before Week 1. The Cowboys’ Thursday night assignment in Philadelphia to open the season also gives them less time than they had with Prescott last year. Mentioning the Packers, Cardinals and Ravens as potential trade fits, Fowler outlines what would certainly be a robust market if the Cowboys did decide to explore what the top player would fetch in a trade. Of course, dealing Parsons would significantly weaken the 2025 Cowboys. Jones mentioned during his Michael Irvin podcast conversation the prospect of franchise-tagging Parsons next year. That would be an option, but the Cowboys are not giving up on a 2025 deal yet.
Bill Belichick takes another shot at Patriots owner Robert Kraft
It is no secret that the relationship between Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft has been strained since Belichick left the New England Patriots. Belichick took an obvious shot at Kraft and the Patriots owner's son, Jonathan, who is the president of the team, during an interview with Ben Volin of the Boston Globe that was published on Thursday. Belichick is preparing for his first-ever season as a college coach with North Carolina. When asked what he has noticed that is different about coaching in college versus the NFL, Belichick insinuated he has enjoyed not having to answer to any members of the Kraft family while doing his job in Chapel Hill. "It’s a much more cohesive, and I’d say unified, view of what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it," Belichick told Volin. "It’s a lot of football, and there’s not much in your way. "There’s no owner, there’s no owner’s son. There’s no cap, everything that goes with the marketing and everything else, which I’m all for that. But it’s way less of what it was at that level." Shots fired. There is no way to interpret that other than a criticism of Robert and Jonathan Kraft. Had Belichick left it at not having to answer to a team owner, you could make the case that he was speaking generally about the NFL. The fact that he added in "owner's son" makes it obvious he was referring to his old bosses, as both Robert and Jonathan are hands-on with the Patriots. Belichick is almost certainly bitter over the way his tenure in New England ended following the 2023 season. He coached the Patriots for 24 seasons and won six Super Bowls, so he likely felt he should have been given more time to turn things around in the post-Tom Brady era. The Kraft family preferred to move on after a 4-13 campaign. Though Belichick insists he is solely focused on the upcoming UNC season, this is not the first time in recent months that he has gone out of his way to throw a jab at Robert Kraft.
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