The Dolphins have made Bobby McCain the league’s highest-paid nickelback. McCain has agreed to a four-year, $27MM extension with the team that includes $13MM guaranteed, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
McCain, a fifth-round pick back in 2015, was slated to enter the final year of his contract. After the Dolphins carved out an additional $17MM thanks to Ndamukong Suh‘s post-June 1 release, the Dolphins quickly moved to put their cap room towards a new deal with the talented young corner.
McCain, 25 in August, has appeared in every Dolphins regular season game over the last three years. Last year, he set new career highs in interceptions (two), passes defensed (seven), and total tackles (45). Pro Football Focus ranked McCain as the 46th best qualified cornerback in the NFL in 2017. He was easily the Dolphins’ best cornerback according to the advanced metrics (and by any measure, really), as he outperformed outside starters Xavien Howard and Cordrea Tankersley.
McCain’s deal bests the four-year, $20MM deal ($8MM fully guaranteed) signed by Patrick Robinson with the Saints this offseason. Although McCain is five years younger than Robinson, it’s impressive that he came away with more considering Robinson’s stellar 2017 performance and the fact that McCain did not have the added leverage of the open market.
The Dolphins project to return Howard and Tankersley as their starters on the outside with McCain covering the slot. First-round safety Minkah Fitzpatrick – who formally inked his rookie deal on Friday – will start in between along with standout strong safety Reshad Jones.
“Remember, kids- if you wanna be an NFL star- brush and floss 3 times a day!”