Dolphins safety and special teams ace Michael Thomas has signed his restricted free agent tender, ensuring that he’ll remain in Miami for the 2017 season, tweets Alex Marvez of the Sporting News. Thomas had interest from two other clubs, one of whom offered him a three-year contract, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
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Thomas was assigned the original round tender, so he’ll earn $1.797MM for the upcoming campaign. Because Thomas was originally an undrafted free agent, the Dolphins wouldn’t have been entitled to any draft pick compensation had they declined to match a Thomas offer sheet. It’s unclear as to why Thomas would reject a three-year contract in lieu of the RFA salary, but it’s difficult to assess the multi-year pact without knowing its specifics, such as structure and guarantees.
In 2016, Thomas continued his excellent work on special teams, playing on nearly 80% of Miami’s special teams plays while performing as one of the league’s best teams aces, per Pro Football Focus. Thomas, 28, was also called on to start eight contests due to injuries suffered by Reshad Jones and Isa Abdul-Quddus. Playing on roughly half the Dolphins’ defensive snaps, Thomas put up 39 tackles and one sack, but graded as a bottom-10 safety overall, according to PFF.