East Notes: Dolphins, Suh, Cousins

The Dolphins strongly denied a report indicating that they are ready to move on from defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Fins are telling the truth, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes, but they were fed up with his behavior in years past. Since then, Suh has celebrated his 30th birthday and he seems to have turned over a new leaf in the locker room. Suh is in better standing with coaches, but there’s still the matter of his onerous contract. Suh counts for $19.1MM against the cap this season and that will climb to $26.1MM in 2018. The Dolphins could save up to $17MM in cap space by designating him a post-June 1 cut, but Salguero expects the two sides to discuss some kind of restructured deal to keep the union going.

Here’s more from the East divisions:

• The 49ers’ trade for Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t alter Kirk Cousins‘ future with the Redskins, John Keim of ESPN.com opines. Even with the Niners out of the Cousins equation, the Redskins will still probably have to tag Cousins for a third consecutive year. However, the Redskins could get bold and use the less expensive transition tag on Cousins now that the cash-flush Niners are (ostensibly) out of the picture. With the transition tag, the Redskins would receive no compensation if they decline to match another team’s offer. The Cardinals, Jets, Jaguars, Ravens, Browns, and Broncos are among the clubs that could be in search of a QB this spring.
• Brian Hoyer‘s three-year deal with the Patriots calls for him to earn $476K in 2017, $915K in 2018, and a $2.85MM base salary ($1.5MM of which is guaranteed) in 2019, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). He could also earn a $200K roster bonus in ’19, bringing the total value of the deal to $4.44MM. The fifth day of the 2019 league year – the date the bonus is due – will be pivotal in determining whether Hoyer finishes out the full three-year pact, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes. Per the terms of his previous deal with the Niners, Hoyer is eligible for termination pay from SF through 2018.