GM Chris Grier says Dolphins will work with Xavien Howard to restructure deal talks about Deshaun Watson, Sean Payton

The Miami Dolphins surface likely to appease any fears Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard may perhaps have with his agreement this offseason.

Dolphins normal supervisor Chris Grier reported Wednesday he has previously had many conversations with Howard considering that the stop of the 2021 season at the NFL scouting merge in Indianapolis.

“I’ve had numerous talks with Xavien this offseason,” Grier reported. “Had some texts back and forth. We’re going to have conversations and see if we can occur to some sort of resolution. My anticipation is that Xavien will be in this article up coming year.”

Very last offseason, Howard reached a point wherever he demanded a trade from the business amid a contract dispute with the crew. Whilst he nonetheless had 4 decades remaining on his six-12 months, $77.2 million offer negotiated in 2019, he and the Dolphins extra 2021 incentives that received his completely assured figure for the period to $12,785,294 and the optimum he could generate with incentives to $16,285,294.

The restructure kicked the can down the highway, but even now enabling for the exact same difficulties to stay heading into this offseason.

Grier stated, nonetheless, there was a pledge from the business back then to come again close to and address it.

“We experienced manufactured the guarantee to him,” Grier mentioned. “After the year, we’ll make the adjustment: ‘We’ll glimpse at it, play by means of the period, get us to the 3rd 12 months of the offer and then we’ll search at it, chat about it.’ Just to be truthful with him and do it, which is the appropriate factor to do. If he needs to arrive back again and enjoy on the offer, we would, but we know that is not the situation.”

Immediately after the Dolphins signed fellow cornerback Byron Jones in the 2020 offseason, Jones was established to make $16 million more than Howard concerning the 2020 and 2021 seasons just before incorporating the assures and incentives for 2021.

Howard had a league-top 10 interceptions in 2020 and was a Defensive Player of the Year prospect. In 2021, Howard experienced five interceptions, two forced fumbles, a pair of fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.

Settling Howard’s offer will be a focal issue in the future month as the Dolphins search to maneuver with a league-top $60 million in cap space for no cost agency that commences on March 16.

“I consider it presents options for us to do a great deal of various factors, no matter if it’s free of charge company, trades and stuff,” Grier reported about the overall flexibility. “We’re also not living yr to year. We’re hoping to also have some point of view.

“The prospect to include great gamers, we’ve constantly been that way. We have normally pursued and tried out to do it. So, we’ll be intense nonetheless. If the proper participant, if [coach Mike McDaniel] and I truly feel the correct participant [is available] for us to assist us get much better and continue to keep us transferring ahead, we’ll go after him. … That does not indicate we’ll expend every single cent right up to it simply because I assume that qualified prospects you to not staying ready to do moves in year.”

Topping the listing on moves with their have no cost agents just before the Dolphins delve deep into totally free agency is what they’ll do with defensive stop Emmanuel Ogbah and tight conclude Mike Gesicki.

“I would say we’ve possibly had more discussions with Drew than Ogbah,” Grier explained. “Those are likely on all all over the program of the season. … We know what [Ogbah] is. He’s a fantastic man, good player, great person, fits all the conditions we’re searching for. He’s finished a nice career for us the last two decades. … Mike is familiar with how I experience about him. I drafted him and have had separate discussions with Mike. We’ve had confined talks with his agents.

“As it got to the stop of the time with absolutely free agency, equally of people men get to this point, they want to be equipped to see what their options are. They both of those told us they want to be back in Miami. They equally really like it below. They want to be again. We’ll see what occurs.”

Grier also acknowledged that Gesicki struggles with the blocking facet of his recreation when excelling as a move-catching limited conclusion.

1 of the two involving Gesicki and Ogbah could be saved in Miami by use of the franchise tag.

“I imagine all possibilities are open up,” Grier claimed. “With the coaching team coming in, we’re just giving them the opportunity to seem at the players and consider the fellas we probably may possibly tag, but I imagine we have to depart all selections on the table for us. That could be a likely transfer for us.”

Door shut on Watson

Grier voiced a dedication to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in his Wednesday comments when shutting down the team’s former pursuit of Houston Texans’ elite but troubled quarterback Deshaun Watson.

“I feel the doorway is shut on Deshaun,” Grier claimed. “At the stop of the day, Mike and the staff have arrive to do a large amount of operate and analyzed a ton of Tua and they sense good about his developmental upside, what he can be and then the healthy in the offense. I think we’re very good with Tua.”

Grier did not sound extremely convincing, nevertheless, when requested if he even now feels Tagovailoa can grow to be an elite quarterback.

“I can not say he can not be,“ Grier explained. “It’s in a predicament now where this will be created about his talent established and what the offense can be and Mike’s eyesight of how he suits. So, I wouldn’t say he can’t be. It is too early.

“I know people today want to say he does not toss the ball downfield, but he’s amazingly accurate, and that’s the serious interesting section for Mike and the coaching personnel, his accuracy.”

On Payton, Brady report

Grier also tackled a latest Pro Soccer Communicate report that claimed the Dolphins were fascinated in pursuing a mixture of Sean Payton as coach and Tom Brady as quarterback.

Grier set the history straight, declaring the Dolphins under no circumstances seemed into Brady, but they did inquire about Payton as coach as he was retiring.

“I attained out to New Orleans a couple days immediately after just to see, ‘Is he carried out with football or does he want to coach?’ I really do not know what is heading on around there. And they just advised us no, they weren’t heading to grant authorization. So that was it.

“We’ve generally been, given that I’ve been here, aggressive hunting at options and he’s a person of the greatest coaches in soccer and we ended up nevertheless in the center of our interviewing process. We stopped to see if he would have curiosity at all. So, I really don’t even know if he would have fascination.” …

— Grier declined to comment on Wednesday about the lawsuit filed by former mentor Brian Flores.

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