HEADLINES

Jason Sanders

NFL Restructures: Dawkins, Sanders, Byard

November 3rd, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are a few details on recent contract restructures around the NFL:

  • Last week, the Bills and left tackle Dion Dawkins agreed to a restructured deal to help create some cap space, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Buffalo converted $5.18MM of Dawkins’ 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, clearing up $3.9MM of cap space.
  • The Dolphins restructured the contract of kicker Jason Sanders earlier this month, per Jason Fitzgerald of overthecap.com. While the specifics have not yet been reported, Sanders’ cap hit in 2023 will be lessened from $3.7MM to $2.4MM.
  • Yates reported another restructure this week, with the Eagles restructuring the contract of newly acquired safety Kevin Byard. The team converted $888,750 of Byard’s 2023 salary into a bonus in order to clear $711K of cap space.

Dolphins Extend K Jason Sanders

February 16th, 2021 at 11:01am CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins and Jason Sanders moved fast. Shortly after a report surfaced indicating the sides sought a long-term partnership, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports an extension agreement is in place (Twitter link). The team subsequently announced the move.

Coming off an All-Pro season, Sanders signed a five-year deal worth $22MM. The three-year veteran kicker will see $10MM of that guaranteed, per Schefter. This will tie Sanders to the Dolphins through the 2026 season. A 2018 seventh-round pick, Sanders only became extension-eligible last month.

On this $4.4MM-per-year deal, Sanders secured a top-five salary at his position. Only Justin Tucker (Ravens) , Graham Gano (Giants) and Ka’imi Fairbairn (Texans) are attached to deals worth more per year, and Sanders’ $10MM guarantee trails only Tucker among kickers.

Sanders, 25, is coming off a dominant season. He made 36 of his 39 field goal tries in 2020 — his second season with at least 90% field goal accuracy — and aided Miami’s offense consistently with long-range precision. The New Mexico product connected on 8 of 9 tries from beyond 50 yards.

This marks the latest extension agreement in GM Chris Grier‘s tenure atop Miami’s front office. Despite Grier not being in charge of Dolphins personnel prior to the 2019 offseason, he has authorized notable extensions for previous Dolphin draftees Sanders, Xavien Howard and DeVante Parker

Dolphins Want To Extend Jason Sanders

February 10th, 2021 at 7:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two years after the Dolphins drafted Jason Sanders in the seventh round, he became a first-team All-Pro. The Dolphins may want to keep their kicker around beyond his rookie contract.

The Dolphins are interested in extending Sanders, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The three-year veteran became eligible for a new deal in January. Both the Dolphins and Sanders are interested in an extension, though negotiations have not yet begun.

Sanders, 25, is coming off a dominant season. He made 36 of his 39 field goal tries — his second season with at least 90% field goal accuracy — and aided Miami’s offense consistently with long-range precision. The New Mexico product connected on 8 of 9 tries from beyond 50 yards. Sanders also has a touchdown reception on his resume, hauling in a trick-play pass during the 2019 season. In the six seasons prior to Sanders’ arrival, the Dolphins used five different kickers.

Justin Tucker‘s four-year, $20MM contract, agreed to in 2019, currently stands as the NFL’s top kicker deal. Eight other kickers earn at least $4MM per year.

Dolphins Sign Minkah Fitzpatrick

June 1st, 2018 at 11:53am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have signed first rounder Minkah Fitzpatrick, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In accordance with his slot, the defensive back will receive a four-year, $16.4MM deal with a $10MM signing bonus. 

Heading into Friday, the Dolphins were one of two teams who had yet to sign any of their draft picks. However, things changed when the calendar flipped to June. Miami had just $312K in cap room on Thursday, but gained an additional $17MM in cap space on Friday when Ndamukong Suh’s post-June 1 release became official. With that room, they carved out the necessary space to get to work on their draft class.

Fitzpatrick, the No. 11 overall pick, projects to start at free safety with Reshad Jones alongside him at strong safety. T.J. McDonald, who started every game in his suspension-shortened season, will head to the bench as the first backup behind both players.

In addition to Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins have also inked sixth-round cornerback Cornell Armstrong, seventh-round linebacker Quentin Poling, and seventh-round punter Jason Sanders, the club announced.