10 moves the Dolphins can make to clear salary cap space

4 days ago 1

The Miami Dolphins' new general manager will have some cleaning up to do.

The predecessor, Chris Grier, left a messy salary cap situation anchored by expensive contract extensions signed by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill that will inevitably leave the Dolphins with a titanic amount of dead money in 2026.

Finding avenues to create salary cap space is a must for the Dolphins this offseason. Here are 10 potential ways Miami can clear space:

Trade QB Tua Tagovailoa

Cutting Tagovailoa will cause his already lofty $56.4 salary cap hit to balloon even larger. The thriftier way to get out from under some of those charges would be to deal the contract to another team.

That's easier said than done.

In 2017, the Houston Texans agreed to trade Brock Osweiler and second- and sixth-round picks for just a fourth-round pick from the Cleveland Browns. Essentially, the Browns agreed to absorb his contract in exchange for draft capital.

The Dolphins may need a similarly structured trade, along with an agreement to pay a significant portion of Tagovailoa's deal, to move the quarterback elsewhere.

Release WR Tyreek Hill

The speedy receiver suffered a devastating knee injury in September and turns 32 in March. There's simply no chance the Dolphins will keep Hill on the roster with his salary cap hit at $51.9 million. A reunion at a cheaper price isn't impossible, but seems unlikely.

Releasing Hill will save $23.65 million (or $36 million with a post-June 1 designation) in 2026 salary cap space.

Release OLB Bradley Chubb

Chubb led the Dolphins in sacks in 2025 with 8.5, but he's simply not the player he was when the team acquired him in a 2022 trade. He earned an elite 88.8 grade from PFF in 2023 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. This season, his grade was just 54.5.

With salary cap hits just over $31 million in both 2026 and 2027, the Dolphins are likely to move on from pass rusher.

A post-June 1 designation on his release appears the most prudent course of action as it would clear $20.2 million this year and $23.3 million in 2027.

Trade S Minkah Fitzpatrick

The Dolphins' 2018 first-round pick played well in his Miami return. Fitzpatrick was a Pro Bowl alternate and PFF's highest graded Dolphins defensive player, beating out NFL tackles leader Jordyn Brooks by a few points.

But Fitzpatrick will turn 30 next season and the Dolphins will need to get younger and save money all over the roster under their new general manager.

Fitzpatrick is due to count $18.8 million against Miami's salary cap next season -- fourth highest behind the aforementioned trio of Tagovailoa, Hill, and Chubb. While releasing the safety will leave the team with $13 million in dead space, another summer relocation for Fitzpatrick makes more sense.

Trading Fitzpatrick after the start of June would yield $15.6 million in savings for the Dolphins.

Trade or restructure OT Austin Jackson

The 2020 first-round pick has been a good, but not great offensive lineman throughout his tenure with the Dolphins. When Jackson missed 11 games during the 2025 season, the Miami offense got a fairly similar level of play out of his backup, Larry Borom.

So the $15.8 million salary cap hit the Dolphins are set to eat for Jackson is a bit much.

If Miami wants to keep its right tackle, a restructure could push as much as $7 million or so into future years. But a post-June 1 trade could clear $11.5 million. It likely wouldn't be too difficult to find a team ready to give up a draft pick for a relatively reliable 26-year-old tackle with 60 career starts.

Extend C Aaron Brewer

On a roster with several issues, Brewer is a huge asset. He's among the best centers in the NFL and a leader for an offense that doesn't have many.

The 28-year-old lineman is set to play on the final season of the three-year, $21 million contract he signed as a free agent in 2024. But after counting for just $2.5 million and $3.9 million in the first two years, Brewer is due to count $9.2 million against the Dolphins' salary cap in 2026.

An extension could ensure the Dolphins keep a top tier offensive line for years to come while also trimming that salary cap hit with a backloaded deal that puts the burden in the future -- long after Miami is done dealing with the ramifications of the Tagovailoa fallout.

Release K Jason Sanders

Jason Sanders finished the 2024 season with 27 consecutive made field goals. A year later, that streak is still at 27 after the kicker missed all of 2025 with a hip injury.

In his place, Riley Patterson broke a Dolphins franchise record by nailing 93.1 percent of his field goals.

Swapping out Sanders for Patterson isn't exactly a no-brainer. The latter may be accurate, but his career long is 54 yards and Miami probably won't want a limited leg full-time. But keeping Sanders with a $4.6 million salary cap hit isn't the most palatable solution either.

The Dolphins can get about $4 million back by cutting Sanders, leaving the team with a tricky decision at kicker this offseason.

Release FB Alec Ingold

Mike McDaniel enjoys having an effective fullback plowing ahead in the run game. He had Kyle Juszczyk in San Francisco and brought in Ingold shortly after taking over in Miami in 2022.

If McDaniel is the Dolphins' coach in 2026, Ingold's job may be safe. But his $5.1 million salary cap hit isn't cheap. The 49ers will be paying Juszczyk, a 10-time Pro Bowler, about half that number next season.

Releasing Ingold would clear more than $3 million in space.

Release G James Daniels

Daniels was the priciest free agent added by the Dolphins during the 2025 offseason. That investment went belly up when the guard suffered a season-ending pec injury after only three snaps in Week 1.

Before that, he missed 13 games during his 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to an Achilles tear.

If the Dolphins believe Daniels is ready to return and be an effective guard in 2026, his $4.9 million salary cap hit could actually be a bargain. But the team could recoup $3.7 million in space with a post-June 1 designation (it's worth noting a team can only use two per offseason).

Release WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

James Daniels and Westbrook-Ikhine were the only free agents brought in by the Dolphins on multi-year deals. The latter was healthy, but about as ineffective imaginable.

In 15 games played, he caught only 11 passes for 89 yards. While his contract is cheap, the Dolphins can save $1.6 million by parting with the receiver and there's not reason not to do so.

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins 2026 salary cap space: 10 moves Miami can make to save money

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