That's also definitely true. I thought there was a middle ground here and it may still work out that way. I believe Flores was telling the truth that the team saw this as a "unique" situation. I think it comes down to Howard's demand(s). That said, if we're to win Super Bowls we have to get used to the idea of coaches being able to competently replace expensive players. You cannot over-pay in the NFL, certainly not just because players are asking for it.
After his 2020 performance, I'd roll that dice. Xavien Howard led the league in interceptions twice. And it says a lot when there are plentynof teams that calling Miami to inquire about the trade. These aren't ESPN rankings. These stats recorded by the league itself. And it's not silly to consider a player's production when making a business decision involving a sports team.
But since you're concerned about his injury history (a legit worry), I'd go as far as to add incentives based on him staying healthy durimg the season.
I'd do as what was reported he asked for and guarantee his 2022 salary. If he balls out again like last year with no injuries he'll still have 3 years under contract left. Much better position to trade him. That wouldn't be enough dead cap to hurt cutting/trading him. Or, if they want to keep him and not pay him again, 3 years vs 4 years left at his age isn't losing much leverage from the Dolphins side. Turn it into signing bonus that they can go after it if he retires. Seems like a clear win/win. I must be missing something, I don't understand why this hasn't been done yet.
Have no proof of course, but I can't be convinced without an MRI that he's actually injured. He's just there to be a 'professional' like he said...
I will say one thing though… there isnt a team in the NFL that has two defensive backs making the kind of money byron and x are making.. hell there are teams in the NFL that dont have 5 DB salaries combined making what theyre making.. abd some of those teams are playoff caliber… so im not sure if we overinvested on that… especially when we have igbi needham and mccourtey right behind them and they will contribute..
While true, one of the benefits of having a quarterback on their rookie contract is the ability to do some over investment in other positions.
Other news has indicated that the Fins are still trying to make X happy and I did notice his tone has changed in recent quotes that he'd prefer to stay in Miami. I just wish we could get something more concrete though since he's such a big part of our defense and time is ticking away.
With Noah Igbinoghene getting abused in camp thus far, giving up long completions in man-coverage to such dominant WRs as Jakeem Grant and Allen Hurns as well as rookie Jaylen Waddle it's starting to look like Miami's depth at CB was a little over-sold. Let's be honest here, we didn't really see anything great out of Noah last year and if he's still struggling to look even average against JAG wide-outs like Grant & Hurns there's reason to be somewhat panicky about the potential loss of Xavien Howard. As we speak, Igbinoghene has been demoted to practicing with the second-team. At present the "answer" for Howard's absence has been the promotion of Nik Needham and Jason McCourty to starting at boundary CB, both moves that would make Miami's secondary a lot more average than it was last year.
I agree completely. Needham has been impressive and has over-achieved to date, but he's far from a shutdown corner that opponents will fear. Maybe we can mask that some with the secondary, but it is a lot more beneficial to just keep X and have him on the field.
I remember back when Byron Jones was signed having the (not unpopular) suspicion that his deal was likely to result in the loss of Xavien Howard. For such a value-oriented regime, it didn't seem prudent to have 2 high-paid CBs on the roster at the same time. Many assumed the signing of Byron Jones said something about Xavien Howard's lingering knee injuries. Now here we are 1 season later and we're all working from the perspective that we deserve a team with multiple high-priced CBs. I'm not sure that was ever the plan. Who knows? It just seems weird that the team all of a sudden has so much $$$ tied-up in multiple veteran CBs when it has taken steps to avoid putting big money into literally every other position on the field. And if the plan was to rely on just one of these guys, say Jones, why did the team not trade Xavien Howard months ago when he was looking like the top CB in the NFL? And why has he still not been traded after openly requesting a trade? At this point, it really seems the Dolphins may want both high-priced CBs but if so, I don't get the hold-up with doling out some more money to Howard. I'm starting to believe the Dolphins front office is literally just taking a hardline stance against the idea of renegotiating Howard's contract. Maybe that's entirely what this is?
Seriously? So we may be doing this all over again next season if he has an awesome year? I'm thrilled that the front office got this settled but I don't want this to become a pattern. In any case, X will be a Dolphin in 2021 and he should be playing determined- that's all that matters here.
It's alright, they got money to burn next year and he's one of the best players at arguably one of most important positions in football. Phins have been doing well setting up their cap after the dump.
The Dolphins are setting terrible precedence that if a player has a hall of fame type season and continues to play in a hall of fame type production that they will be rewarded.
In the words of Teddy KGB, “pay that man his money.” Good for X, good for the Dolphins and good for us. Now let’s get back to dominating on defense!
Well, that's the thing- if he has a dozen picks this season and proves to be the best CB in the league, then he's going to ask for another raise next season. But what would you rather see: Howard has an okay year and we realize we shouldn't have given the raise Howard has a HOF-type year and has a valid argument for more money While it might be a lousy precedent, we're talking about a potential HOF player playing above and beyond what he contract pays. Isn't that the ultimate goal with every player on the team? I mean, if Tua leads the league this season, we have a deep playoff run and then he asks for a raise next year, should we really be mad about that? To me, that's the dream scenario...and it's why we have a front office to deal with that kind of thing. So the heck with precedence; we need X to play like he's been playing and earn a conversation for another raise.
Sorry, I was joking. I am fine with giving players the motivation that if they play better they will get paid better.
Also I forgot Woo hoo! Happy X is going to be a Dolphin in 2021. I know it is a long shot, however, with him I have hopes for the Super Bowl.
And to all the people who want to comment that I am just setting myself up for disappointment by rooting for a Superbowl this year, I will say go to hell and I am a Dolphin fan. I am so used to disappointment that I feel numb to it.
Yeah, I don't understand those fans. It's like they forgot that we drafted Waddle, who is going to be a combination of Clayton and Duper in one.
I wonder if Stephen Ross didn't step in and just kind of override Chris Grier here? I can imagine Ross getting sick of these "negotiations" and just going straight to Grier asking, "can we replace him or will be see a drop in quality?" We know what Grier would've said. None of the back-ups appear to be stepping up. So Ross would've followed with, "can we afford to pay him?" Upon hearing a "yes" Ross probably rolled his eyes and said "give him the money." At the end of the day I'm glad the Dolphins didn't lose Howard. If he plays well, it'll be money well spent and there will be a strong market looking to possibly trade for him. If he doesn't play well, he's still probably way better than Nik Needham and Noah Igbinoghene!