With defensive end Mario Williams heading to Miami on a two-year deal reportedly worth $8 million per season, the Dolphins have to decide what to do with their other defensive ends, Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon.
Some are suggesting that the move means Wake will stay and that the transition tender will be removed from Vernon. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, no decisions have been made regarding the Wake-or-Vernon question. As the source explained it, the Dolphins “have a few other moving parts.”
The only risk in the short term is that Vernon will sign the transition tender, putting the Dolphins in a bind with a fully-guaranteed, $12.734 million contract for one year.
Meanwhile, some are chiding the Dolphins for their annual “big splash” into the market, which includes a trade for cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso. While a correlation between spending and winning is hardly established, keep in mind the reality that football ultimately is an entertainment business. Teams need to persuade fans to devote their time and money to the product, and one way to generate excitement (and to sell tickets and other stuff) is to bring new players to town.
Besides, let’s not entirely dismiss the impact of veteran players arriving via free agency. The defending Super Bowl champions added through the open market players like cornerback Aqib Talib, linebacker DeMarcus Ware, safety T.J. Ward, and receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
