Xavien Howard is staying in Miami. The Dolphins and their star cornerback have agreed to a restructured deal that gives Howard more earning power, as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network was first to report (via Twitter).
This was the expected outcome after we learned yesterday that Howard had returned to practice. And while this transaction is believed to mark the first time in league history that a player with four years remaining on his contract has received new money and guarantees — without a full-blown extension, at least — it doesn’t seem like a particularly onerous commitment from Miami’s perspective.
The Dolphins fully guaranteed Howard’s 2021 salary of $12.785MM and added $3.5MM in incentives tied to playing time and a Pro Bowl or All-Pro appearance, as veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson details (Twitter link). Plus, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com report, Howard will see $6.775MM of his $12.975MM 2022 pay fully-guaranteed right away. The remainder is guaranteed for injury for now and will become fully-guaranteed on the first day of the 2022 league year (Twitter links). Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network tweets that the club is also waiving the $93K of fines that Howard incurred for holding out of minicamp.
Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the Dolphins have assured Howard that they will return to the negotiating table in February or March of 2022 (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald). Of course, Howard will need to stay healthy and continue to perform at a high level, and one hopes that player and team are aligned on the potential outcomes of a renegotiation next year. For instance, if Howard believes the team is open to an extension but the team is thinking more along the lines of another restructure, the relationship could sour quickly.
When Howard signed his current deal in 2019, he was the highest-paid corner in the league. But his current $15MM/year average now ranks just sixth at the position, and as he led the NFL with 10 interceptions last year and graded out as the second-best CB in the league per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, he was pushing for a pay bump and requested a trade to force the issue.
Ultimately, the fact that he was still under club control for four years limited what the Dolphins were willing to do, but the team is certainly happy to have its top defender back on the field and at peace with his contract status. The adjustments Miami made to Howard’s deal seem like a small price to pay for that.
I bet that fixed his ‘injury’!
Injury? Howard always said he was holding out for more money or a new contract.
‘Howard (ankle) is present at the Dolphins’ Saturday practice, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins’ official site reports.
Howard was sidelined at Friday’s practice due to an ankle injury, but it looks like the issue is not too serious.’
That injury from this year.
Some players seem more concerned with an injury to their pride than their body and that might have been the case here.
Why did he signed the contract last year if he wanted more money a year later ? Unbelievable
The second to last paragraph explains why. When he signed it, he was the highest paid corner at the time. Since then, 5 other players (including teammate Byron Jones) have passed him. Considering the season he had, he wanted a contract renewal that would better reflect his status as one of the top corners in the league. IIRC, his salary this year (and next year) was actually not guaranteed. I think he mainly wanted his contract guarantees to be reworked a bit. Supposedly the only new money in the deal is the $3.5m in incentives.
The NFL doesn’t operate in the same the NBA, MLB, and NHL do in that most contracts signed in the NFL are not fully guaranteed. Meaning teams can cut guys usually with minimal impact on their cap. Howard was just looking for security for this season and next.
Also the “4 years” is not 4 years. It still is one year guaranteed and partial for next year until the 2022 season starts with 2 years that are essentially team options.
The system is designed to benefit the teams and take advantage of the players. Please stop getting mad because a guy signed a contract that the teams rarely honor themselves.
Why do people keep saying teams don’t honor the contracts? Of course they do. Players negotiate for money up front as a signing bonus, teams often negotiate their right to cut the player after a certain period of time. Both sides get what they agree to at the time and sign the deal. If teams were not honoring the contracts, imagine how many lawsuits the players union would bring. If a player doesn’t want the team to be able to cut him, don’t sign the deal…
Then he should’ve signed with a team that respected his wishes. Rumor was the Jets were willing to pay Kirk Cousins more but the Vikings were willing to do 100% guaranteed money.
I could get on with that argument, but a team shouldn’t be held to higher standards than the player here. Howard committed to this deal a year ago. He should at least played on it a bit longer. The Dolphins did this to keep him happy, but what will they do if Howard slips? Just eat that money? If Howard wants to stay the top paid corner in the league at all times, he cannot afford to slide even a little bit, because it’s be just as acceptable for the Dolphins to come and demand money back.
But he’s no longer the top paid corner, Ak185, and the only new money he got is incentives, so he may or may not see that at all. Otherwise, he just saw some of the existing money guaranteed, that’s all. And this when the team could have done virtually the same thing by converting base salary to signing bonuses all on their own, without even asking the player.
cka2nd –
He’ll notice by next year and will hold out
Technically correct –
He never HAD to sign it, did he? His agent negotiated it in good faith, knowing damn well what the rules were. True showing of his character here
JT19 –
So why did he sign a 5 year contract to begin with? Was he unaware of how this all works?
This seems like a good compromise by both parties. Glad to see that Miami could work out something that worked for everyone.
This is the rub? Will Howard be happy until the next CB signs for more than his new contract? Player greed is always on full display. If players want to renegotiate contracts at will they should sign each year based on pay for play? You know they won’t do that! They want as much as they can get AND install a safety net!
So why should the owners have the only safety net (years of unguaranteed money)? And you think management wants to go only year-by-year with player contracts? What kind of a way is that to build a team?
This sets a bad precedent
My heart bleeds. Why should management be able to play all kind of accounting tricks with players’ contracts, and demand salary cuts at will, and the players’ shouldn’t have similar recourse?
You ever had a regular job? Do you have all the same rights and powers that your bosses do? Are you being paid millions of dollars? Sorry but the inmates don’t have the same rights as the warden in ANY JOB
I’ve vested in two pension systems, so yeah, I’ve held regular jobs. I have no problem with good, strong management and good, strong leadership, but that doesn’t mean workers should have to bend over and take a cattle prod up their rear ends like most of them have had to over the last 40 years. And comparing bosses and workers to wardens and inmates just proves that you have no problem with that kind of owner/overseer vs. wage slave power dynamic.
Once an unhappy complaining person always an unhappy complaining person
Don’t say that about yourself.
Even if it is true.
Absolutely pathetic move by the Dolphins. Wanna bet this entitled prima donna jerk is going to pull some more crap next year? Glad this fool isn’t on my favorite team…I don’t care how good he is. He’ll probably end up sucking now that he got his bigger payday and bigger ego boost. This league has allowed itself to become a joke with giving in to these arrogant SOB’s. Me me me. I deserve. I need. I want. I won’t play unless…