Xavien Howard wants out and plenty of teams are willing to help. Two playoff teams have called the Dolphins the cornerback following his latest trade request (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Other clubs have called too, setting the stage for a summer blockbuster.
Howard skipped mandatory minicamp in an effort to get a new deal from the Dolphins. That hasn’t worked — at least not yet. The All-Pro cornerback still has multiple seasons to go on his contract and the Dolphins want him to stick to the current agreement.
“[The] business side of the NFL proves organizations don’t always have a player’s best interest at heart,” Howard said on social media this week, adding that he didn’t “feel comfortable” with the extension he inked just a few years ago.
“We wanted things to work out with the Dolphins, and brought solutions to the table – like guaranteeing more money – that we felt were win-wins for both sides,” Howard continued. “These were proposal of adjustments that wouldn’t just make me feel more respected, but were also cap friendly. But the Dolphins refused everything we proposed…That is why I don’t feel the organization has dealt with me in good faith.”
Howard notched ten interceptions last year to lead the NFL. That marked the second time he’s led the way in just three years. He also graded out as the second-best corner in the league, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. Meanwhile, his current $15MM AAV has him ranked sixth at the position. Teammate Byron Jones is No. 5 on that list — another reason why Howard is frustrated.
It’s not clear who these “playoff teams” are, but we do know that the Cowboys and Saints have previously inquired on Howard.
If he “didn’t feel comfortable” with the deal… why did he sign it? I am getting sick of hearing about these guys who willingly signed a contract, and then want to do a new deal because they feel disrespected or being ‘not being treated in good faith”. I know he has performed well and deserves to be paid, but if he got injured and missed the season….. would he give back his pay check? Of course not… he would still expect to be paid while sitting on his couch.
Continue playing well and his next contract will be better.
So, bigjonliljon, I assume you think the Dolphins should NOT have approached Benardrick McKinney about reworking his contract, even though it had three years to run, and the team should have just stuck with the deal McKinney brought with him when the Dolphins traded for him in March? I mean, if they didn’t want to stand by that deal, why trade for him?
Or are you only bothered when players want to rework their deal, and not when teams want to rework them?
A trade to AZ for Jones and probably a draft pick or so would be a good match. Jones being a great rusher that’s played in a similar scheme from his NE time.
Unless someone is willing to offer 2 first round picks and a starter, I don’t think he’s going anywhere
100% Agree Blueblood
The Bears need to make this trade!!
A little short on resources to make it happen.
Howard, 1st round this year and Tua for to the Texans for Watson..?!
I hope not
That’s a horrible trade for Miami.
I would never trade for a player this selfish and arrogant. Gonna be a headache for whatever team he plays for. Can’t even stick to a contract he signed 2 years ago. Was he counting on being terrible, and that’s why he signed it? They have to make some adjustments to the collective bargaining deal to keep players from doing this kind of crap. What a jerk. Hope he goes the way of Earl Thomas or Le’Veon Bell…things really worked out great for them after they both acted like spoiled brats.
Teams don’t stick to contracts they sign, so why should players? Teams restructure deals – which is what Howard is now proposing, after originally wanting more money – all the time, and don’t even have to ask the players to agree to it. But they also demand that players take salary cuts, no matter how well they perform, just to help the team manage its salary cap. And you want to tilt the playing field even more towards the owners, the biggest spoiled brats?
What these GMs need to do is put a league wide mandatory payback of your signing bonus if you demand a trade. 0 trade demands from now on.
The players union would never agree to anything like that. There are actually cases where trade requests are for reasons other than money and are justified.
NFLPA needs to fix this, you sign a contract you live up to it, he’s had a good 2 of 3 years he puts together another good year ok pay the man, but until he can stay healthy and keep the production up. No way you trade him his pouting attitude ain’t going make him More money his play on the field will.
QB Tyrod Taylor lost his starting job on the Chargers because some quack team doctor punctured his lung. He didn’t file a grievance against the team but had he requested a trade he would have been totally justified in doing so.
OK, Johnny Dollar, but only if the league agrees to never ask a player for a salary cut, or to “rework” a deal to shorten it, just like the Dolphins just did with Benardrick McKinney. From the PFR report on McKinney’s “reworked” deal:
“The veteran linebacker is now on course for free agency in the spring of 2022, rather than 2024. He was originally set to make $27.5MM over the next three years, including a $7.75M salary in 2021. Now, he’ll make $3MM this year plus $200K in playtime incentives.”
So, if Howard has to stand by his deal, then the Dolphins have to stand by McKinney’s contract, instead of making him take a $4.55 million pay cut this year.
And for all of you whining snowflakes commenting on these stories about Howard, I notice not a single comment was posted on the McKinney story.
The deal for McKinney was in his favor. If he plays well this year, he hits free agency and will get paid guarantee money upfront by the Dolphins or whoever signs him.
And what penalty should the teams pay, phillyballers, if they demand a player shorten his contract and take a pay cut, like the Dolphins just made Bendarick McKinney do? Pay the player a second signing bonus of the same size?
I’ll see you your zero trade demands, and raise you zero pay cut demands.
LOL
They always forget about the upfront bonus which makes the average annual salary higher…..
Are you talking about the prorated signing bonus? That doesn’t increase the annual salary for the player, it increases the annual cap hit for the club.
Yeah dude I get it, sometimes it feels like the company I work for thinks making money is more important then all the stuff I want
49ers need to be all over this. They got too many guys with injury history.
What’s the best case scenario if you sign this guy? He plays great the next two year? At that point the market will have increased with the cap and he will just feel disrespected again, if he wants to get top of market every year I guess one year deals are fine, he wanted security and then two years later he’s complaining, and he played 5 games in 2019 and graded out average
What’s the best case scenario for a player? The Dolphins traded for Bendarick McKinney in March, and they not only just made him agree to give up the $27.5 million he was supposed to make over the next three years in return for becoming a free agent after this season, but forced a $4.55 million salary cut down his throat this year. I don’t see any of you complaining about the teams demanding that deals be torn up.
Are you McKinney’s make believe agent? You don’t get it. If he plays well this year, he hits free agency in a cap increase year. He will get paid, with guarantee $$. And AGAIN, McKinney AGREED TO IT!!!! Thank him for helping himself and providing the Dolphins with cap space.
This is exactly what Seattle needs, there biggest question mark is DB.
So then why did you sign the contract 2 years ago? He was an idiot then and is even more of an idiot now. It’s amazing how entitled these guys feel. “Yay, I did the job I was being paid to do, so now the contract I just signed isn’t fair.” I’m really getting sick of these types of players with this kind of thinking. Pathetic
So then why did the Dolphins trade for Bendarick McKinney four months ago, when they just forced him to tear up the last three years of his contract, forego the $27.5 million he was supposed to make over the next three seasons, and take a $4.55 million salary cut this year? How dumb were the Dolphins to make that trade if they weren’t going to honor the player’s contract?
I’m really getting sick of fans who think the players should always honor their deals but don’t give a crap if the teams don’t honor them. Pathetic.
You obviously don’t have a clue..
I read Howard’s statement and laughed.. Pathetic! You didn’t feel comfortable signing your deal?? So after 2 years you want to restructure when you have 3 years left and making 15 million a year to play football..
You have an injury plagued past that has kept you off the field.. You played 1 good season where you balled out and you are mad because Jones makes more money than you.. I feel really bad for you.. And everyone else should as well.. Being sarcastic. How about shutting your mouth, play 2 seasons straight of football without sitting on the sideline nursing an injury and maybe the Fins will restructure next year with the cap increase… You and your greedy agent Cantor can take a hike…. Can the Dolphins provide Howard with a box of tissues please?
So, I suppose you feel the same way about teams tearing up existing deals? That the teams should just bite the bullet and abide by their contracts and never ask players to restructure deals, wipe out years of their contracts, or take salary cuts? A deal’s a deal, right?
link to profootballrumors.com
Howard, his agent at the time, and hopefully a lawyer all reviewed his contract…And Howard signed it…. Anything else you just said is a mute point.
Franchise’s ask players to restructure all the time in order to add cap space for the “BETTER” of the team. Is Howard helping the team with cap space? Nope. Opposite.
If there is an “out” in a contract and the player doesn’t live up to expectations then they are cut! And most of the time, they get paid the “dead money” to do nothing.
And if there is an “out” in the contract it goes back to my original statement. Howard and other players signed their perspective deals. LIVE UP TO YOUR CONTRACT. Or at a minimum play 2 years without being hurt!!
PLUS- He’s making 15 MILLION a year to play football.
So I don’t see your point at all.