Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard held out of minicamp and appears prepared to stay away from the club until he lands a new contract. As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, Howard is “dug in” on the issue, and if he does not get what he wants, the impasse could last well into August.
Howard is coming off a tremendous season, intercepting a league-leading 10 passes (the second time in three seasons he has paced the NFL in INTs), and grading out as the second-best CB in the league per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. Though the five-year, $75MM pact Howard signed with the Dolphins in 2019 made him the highest-paid corner in the league at the time, his $15MM AAV is now the sixth-highest mark in football (one spot behind teammate Byron Jones, who is not as good as Howard but who was lucky enough to sign his free agent contract one year later).
So, if Howard had only one or two years left on his deal, a renegotiation would probably be a no-brainer for the Dolphins. But Howard has four years left, and it would set a dangerous precedent to rework a contract with that much time remaining. Plus, under the terms of the new CBA, Miami does have some leverage, as Howard would stand to lose $50K in unforgivable fines for each day of training camp he misses, and if he fails to report on time, he would lose an accrued season towards free agency.
In light of his dominant 2020 campaign, Howard might feel comfortable with those penalties. He may believe that, if the Dolphins won’t pay him, another club will be willing to trade for him and give him the top-of-the-market deal he’s seeking, thereby negating the fines and, perhaps, the free agency issue. However, Miami was justifiably demanding a king’s ransom for Howard at last year’s trade deadline, and it’s unlikely the club will lower its asking price too much.
Dolphins head coach Brian Flores recently acknowledged that Howard’s situation is a “unique” one, but he did not sound especially keen to rework the CB’s existing contract.
Strictly ego speaking. Most people can scrape by on $15 million per year… That’s a little over $41,000 per day, 365 days a year, to put it in perspective…
Trade him they can win without him – make a block buster for Aaron Rogers
There is no issue. You are in year 2 of a massive 5 year contract extension. This isn’t a franchise tag. Unbelievably ridiculous grievance to have that makes Leveon Bell look reasonable.
Bell was franchised a second time before holding out.
This is pure nutjob AB crap. I wouldn’t trade or adjust his pay & I’d fine him every possible penny.
The Steelers showed everyone that it doesn’t pay to back down to idiots like this. You tell them to Fk off & honor their contract or go apply to McDonalds.
Tells you everything you need to know about his character
One yr removed from signing a generous contract he is going to screw his young teammates who chemistry is vital for continued growth
Xavier hasn’t put together 3-4 consistent yrs of production and is still a risky long term salary cap contributor
Greed and ego is the cornerstone of his bull$hit
Great comment and spot on!
What if he is terrible next year or merely underperforms? Will he hold out until his employer takes back money (if the NFLPA even allowed it) his performance didn’t earn?
His Mastercard TrueName card reads: Greedy
I believe Greedy plays for the Browns……
Things are getting out of control when a bloke with four years left on his contract is holding out. If the Dolphins give in on this one, they may as well come out and say contracts are meaningless.
As a ‘fins fan, I’m fine with him sitting on the sidelines. I would much rather watch someone who actually wants to play for the team.
Why would any club want to trade for him when he’s shown his cards? Suppose you give up a ton to get him, and rework his contract. He’s already shown that he has no intent of honoring said contract and will holdout again if he feels he’s worth more, regardless of how many years left on it.
Fins are stupid if they cave here.
Gee…..I guess the contracts should read if he over performs he gets”X”. If he under performs he gets”Y”. Players want max pay AND a safety net guarantee? Granted the league is a cash cow but DAM! Greed is a crazy way to go through life. One day somebody will say enough is enough. The NFL drama is bigger than the product these days. I read the banter but rarely watch anymore. This is a piece of why I stopped tuning in. After he gets his: “I’m special” contract he’ll use his new paycheck for bail!
This is really disappointing. And much of the blame needs to be placed on his greedy agent who is looking at nothing but $$$ for himself by getting X to sign a larger contract.
You don’t “demand” money 2 years into a contract that you just signed… It’s called honoring your contract or at least for a couple years anyway. That’s great that X had a big year.. It’s about time isn’t it for a injury prone player who most of the time can’t finish a full season.
I’m a big Dolphin’s fan for over 30 years, and I like X but this move has disgusted me. No integrity… Spare me the “oh he had one good year”.. Great! Guess what? That’s his job! You signed a contract to play at a high level…. Congrats! You did it for one year…
X…. Your agent has screwed you… Good luck if you get traded.
I see a Khalil Mack type situation unfolding here. Another team who didn’t recently sign a player is more likely to hand out that kind of salary even after giving up significant draft capital. It’s something you only see for the leagues very best but Howard has been up there for a number of years with plenty left in the tank.
What a pathetic human being. Sit then
Time for the good ole, 1 yr contracts. Then they can renegotiate every year. It eliminates this issue. It brings up another concern about lack of stability or injury protection, but if players want renegotiate or hold out every year in year two of a deal, sign one year deals
Agreed, he did sign a new contract which he was the highest paid CB at the time of his contract. Yes, he has had injury issues and has missed many games during his short career. Yes, he makes a difference when he is healthy and on the field. BUT, I was wondering if he returned all of that money when he couldn’t fulfill he portion of the previous or new contracts? Now he finally remained healthy and wants to hold out? It seems to me that his career, due to his inability to remain on the field and earn his money, already seems that he always partially is a hold out. No play but money being paid. I thought Miami wanted team players first? Who were smart, tough and loved the game. He even knows those guys who were extended that it was their first contract ending. He also knows that the salary cap this year was less due to the pandemic etc. Next years cap will inflate and if he stays healthy and balls out again then, yes look at creating some extra pay based on incentives. This is a dark cloud on the team culture and bad influence on the younger players. Team first Mantra? Frustrating and distracting. It sucks because I truly like X and how he has presented himself and works hard. I simply wish that he would fulfill his obligation and be patient until next years salary cap drastically increases. Fins Up!
If he’s dug in, so be it. The Dolphins control his rights for the next four years.
Maybe he should go apply to the USFL?