The Dolphins will retain tight end Jordan Cameron for the 2016 season on a reworked contract, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the agreement between the two sides involves a pay cut.
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Cameron, 27, caught 80 passes and scored seven times during his Pro Bowl season in 2013, but he was slowed by injuries in 2014 during his final year in Cleveland, and posted modest numbers in his first season in Miami. Playing and starting all 16 games, Cameron recorded 35 receptions for 386 yards and three touchdowns.
Considering how his two-year, $15MM deal with Miami was back-loaded, Cameron was set to count for $9.5MM against the cap this year, and the Dolphins could have created $7.5MM in cap savings by releasing him. However, new head coach Adam Gase told reporters at the combine in February that the veteran tight end was in the team’s plans for 2016.
Since Cameron is entering the final year of his contract, any agreement that lowers his cap hit would have to involve either an extension or a pay cut, and it sounds like the two sides opted for the latter. With Cameron set to earn a $7.5MM base salary, there’s some room for the Dolphins to bring that number down, perhaps giving the tight end a chance to earn some of the money back in incentives. The specific details aren’t yet known.
Rand Getlin of the NFL Network first reported over the weekend that Cameron and the Dolphins were discussing a restructured contract.