The Dolphins signed Ndamukong Suh to the biggest contract for any defensive player in NFL history back in 2015. On Wednesday, the Dolphins released him, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The way this worked out for Miami is a cautionary free agency tale.
Ndamukong Suh is the latest victim of the Dolphins’ ‘culture change’ (whatever that is)
Miami will clear some cap space by cutting Suh, but they’ll take on $22 million in dead money.
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Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Miami brought in Suh as a free agent during the 2015 offseason with a six-year, $114 million contract with a whopping $59.9 million in guarantees.
The Dolphins designated him as a June 1 cut, so he’ll still be on the books:
Why are the Dolphins cutting Suh?
Miami is pushing toward a “culture change,” whatever that means. Suh joins Jay Ajayi, traded away to the Eagles before the deadline last season, and Jarvis Landry as the first casualties.
But the bigger issue is that they just can’t afford to keep him. The Dolphins are $3.1 million over the cap even after trading Landry to the Browns on Friday. They have until the start of the new league year, Wednesday, Mar. 14 at 4 p.m. ET, to be under the cap. Cutting Suh saves them just enough to get there.
Suh’s impact in Miami didn’t live up to his contract. The team made the playoffs once in his three seasons with the Dolphins. Miami finished last season ranked 17th in the league for total defense and 26th in the league for sacks.
Pricey free agents not living up to their contract has been an ongoing theme for the Dolphins. They signed Jay Cutler to a $10 million deal supposedly to keep the team competitive after Ryan Tannehill went down with an injury (and because coach Adam Gase had worked with him before). That didn’t work, and the Dolphins finished 6-10.
What’s next for Miami?
Designating Suh as a post-June 1 cut makes the most sense. That will clear up $17 million in cap space and spread that dead money hit over two years.
They acquired defensive end Robert Quinn in a deal with the Rams recently, but they’ll need a replacement for Suh, But the Dolphins also have plenty of other needs on the roster. Miami may not be done making big moves. They cut linebacker Lawrence Timmons on Monday. Tannehill’s future with the team isn’t a sure thing, according to CBS Sports’ Will Brinson.
Miami has nine picks to work with in this draft, including an extra fourth rounder that they got from the Browns in the Landry trade. That should help fill some of these holes on the roster.
The Dolphins have a lot of work to do this offseason, as usual. And despite getting rid of some of their best players, they don’t really appear to have a coherent plan for how to do that, apart from some vague “culture change.”
What’s next for Suh?
Suh finished the 2017 season with 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He was still one of Miami’s best players and one of the most effective interior defensive linemen in the NFL, even at 31. His contract was apparently just too much for the Dolphins and this “culture change” they’re going through.
He’ll walk away from the Dolphins having raked in nearly $60 million over three years. His next contract will almost certainly not be as pricey, but he shouldn’t have any trouble finding a place to land.
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