The Miami Dolphins are in one of the worst salary cap situations in the NFL, so it’s likely to be a challenging offseason for one of the league’s most exciting teams.
There are a lot of tough decisions to make, and one of the biggest ones is at the heart of the defense.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that several league sources are expecting star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to hit free agency as he should avoid Miami’s franchise tag.
Development out of Indy: Several league sources expect #Dolphins’ Christian Wilkins to avoid franchise tag. Miami source says keeping options open, but teams bracing for star DT to hit free agency.
That and much, much more from @DanGrazianoESPN and mehttps://t.co/DUUbVAlj5b pic.twitter.com/JNbQQifJoa
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 3, 2024
Wilkins had a $10.753 million cap hit in 2023 and is coming off a dominant 9-sack season that should put him in a position to double his salary, something that Miami would have to get creative to be able to afford.
The Dolphins are sitting at $28.485 million over the cap according to Spotrac, which puts them second-worst in the league behind the Bills.
For a defense that took a big step forward in 2023, losing Wilkins would be a massive blow.
The Dolphins are already tasked with replacing star corner Xavien Howard, as well as having to deal with the uncertain timelines of star pass rushers Bradley Chubb (torn ACL) and Jaelan Phillips (torn Achilles).
Wilkins has missed just two games in his five years in Miami.
The Dolphins have until March 5 to apply the franchise or transition tag.
If the franchise tag is not applied, the Dolphins still have exclusive negotiating rights with Wilkins until March 11 when teams are allowed to start negotiating with free agents around the league.
A franchise tag for Wilkins would cost Miami $22 million in 2024, a tough task given the cap situation. If Wilkins hits free agency, his list of suitors will be as long as anybody’s.
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