If Reshad Jones were to make good on his threat to hold out for the entire 2016 season, the Dolphins would of course be worse off for it. But just how realistic is Jones’ threat? According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, not very.
Jackson himself said it would be surprising if Jones were to extend his contract protest into the season, but Jackson adds that even a source close to Jones concedes that Miami has no incentive to re-do a deal that pays the Georgia product $7.2MM and $7.1MM over the next two seasons. That contract makes him the highest-paid strong safety in the NFL, but does not place him among the five highest-paid safeties overall.
If the worst-case scenario comes to fruition and Jones does not report to the team, Jackson says that free agents Antrel Rolle and Louis Delmas are on the Dolphins’ list of contingency plans. Neither option, however, is exactly ideal. Delmas, of course, has been with Miami for each of the past two seasons, and in 2014 he started 12 games for the Fins, racking up 60 tackles and an interception (which he returned for a touchdown), and ranking as a league-average safety per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. But he tore his right ACL towards the end of the 2014 campaign, and he tore that same ACL during practice last August, thereby ending his 2015 season before it even began. Delmas has always shown high-level talent, but his inability to stay healthy throughout his career and the severity of his most recent injuries have left the 29-year-old unemployed for the time being.
Rolle, meanwhile, spent the 2015 season with the Bears after spending the first five years of his career with the Cardinals and the next five with the Giants. Per PFF, he graded out as the 39th-best safety in the league last season (out of 89 qualifiers), and the biggest knock against him at this point is his age. He is now 33, and he played in only seven games last season after suffering a knee injury during a November practice. He has had a long and productive career, however, and the rangy safety–whom our Dallas Robinson lists as the eighth-best defensive free agent still on the market–could be a nice fit in Miami.
Needless to say, though, the Dolphins would rather have Jones, who set new career-highs in tackles (135), passes defended (10), and interceptions (five), last season. PFF ranked Jones as the 13th-best safety in the NFL in 2015, and of the 89 qualified safeties, only two received higher grades as run defenders than Jones did. As of right now, it seems that Jones will report to the club rather than hold out, but the Dolphins do have a Plan B just in case.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
They should just let him hold out. There is no incentive for them to give him more money, as he is already the highest paid strong safety. I could understand if he was being paid half of what he is set to make and was upset, but at his current price, this hold out purely comes down to greediness. You can already tell that he’s going to bolt to the highest bidder when he gets the chance.
These players now a days are just so greedy it’s unbelievable .. Honor the contract you signed.. Let him sit and pay fines don’t cave in cause I can guarantee he will cave when he isn’t getting paid
Fun FACT: Teams are more greedy than the players. Jones, Von and others are doing wonderful jobs trying to get as much as they deserve in pay.
Start your own team and you think differently.
Teams are greedy bc they have to be. Players are greedy bc they wanna be.
Not much of a plan B. I think JT19 is right, Jones will go to the highest bidder when the time comes. His value is very very high right now, if he doesn’t want to be here then let’s find someone who does.
Start the season against Seattle and New England with dominant defensive performances and it will show that the defensive line was making him look better than he really is.
Poorly calculated move. Gase and new regime have too many reasons to let him go to do this…
Leave it to the Dolphonees to get rid of another quality guy.This guy was one of the best players on the field last year….lol
So if he holds out and loses 7.1million does he really think he’ll make that up in the first two years of his next contact??? Is someone really going to give him10.5 mill per year.???
Jones Is currently under contract for two more years that made him the highest payed corner in the NFL. It is a contract that he agreed to but now does not want to honor it. Is he really willing to risk 7.2 million dollars by holding out for a new contract this year? I do not think so! I will bet that he will be back in camp when training becomes mandatory!! If he is not he is going to lose big time! He cannot bolt to the highest paying team until the end of the 2017 season. because he agreed to a contract that expires then, and if he stays home for two years it will cost him 14.3 million dollars in lost salary when he does bolt. After sitting out two years from football, how much would he be worth then? Sure he wants more money, but he is not going to get it. Not in the middle of an existing current and binding contract.
It is true he is greedy, but if he sits out and loses 14.3 million dollars he is stupid! We all know he is greedy but I do not believe he is stupid!, Mark my words, Jones will be on the field soon. The Dolphins are willing to pay him the agreed upon salary and they are not going to budge. It makes very good business sense and the Dolphins are willing to honor their contract with Jones and they have all of the leverage!
Go Phins!!!!
Daniel Simpler33 minutes 43 seconds ago
Jones Is currently under contract for two more years that made him the highest payed safety in the NFL. It is a contract that he agreed to but now does not want to honor it. Is he really willing to risk 7.2 million dollars by holding out for a new contract this year? I do not think so! I will bet that he will be back in camp when training becomes mandatory!! If he is not he is going to lose big time! He cannot bolt to the highest paying team until the end of the 2017 season. because he
agreed to a contract that expires then, and if he stays home for two years it will cost him 14.3 million dollars in lost salary when he does bolt. After sitting out two years from football, how much would he be worth then? Sure he wants more money, but he is not going to get it. Not in the middle of an existing current and binding contract.
It is true he is greedy, but if he sits out and loses 14.3 million dollars he is stupid! We all know he is greedy but I do not believe he is stupid!, Mark my words, Jones will be on the field soon. The Dolphins are willing to pay him the agreed upon salary and they are not going to budge. It makes very good business sense and the Dolphins are willing to honor their contract with Jones and they have all of the leverage!
Go Phins!!!!
Worse d in football
Worst D in football.
Option C, cut em
Hey
Jones was definitely one of the best safeties in the league last season, so by nfl standards he deserves more money. But, the problem is he’s under contract so Miami doesn’t have to renegotiate. And by the way 7.2 mil isn’t peanuts; still makes him one of higher paid safeties. And if you guys are calling him greedy then Von miller is downright diabolical! He is trying to cash in while his stock is as high as its going to get, but his timing sucks.