Bradley Chubb Will NOT be Activated This Season; Future in Miami in Doubt

Chubb tore his ACL, PCL, and MCL in Week 17 last season vs. Baltimore and has been rehabbing in hopes of getting back on the field this season. However, recovering from that injury takes essentially one year. It is also not the first time Chubb has torn his ACL; he has had three ACL injuries in the past, and this was the second on this specific knee alone.

With the Dolphins being $12 million over the projected 2025 Salary Cap at this time, and with Chubb’s injury history and age, as well as the fact he will count for $29 million against the salary cap for Miami in 2025, there is speculation that Miami may move on from him in the offseason.

When Miami traded for Chubb in 2024, giving up a first- and fourth-round pick, it also gave him a 5-year, $110 million contract, including a $13,487,445 signing bonus and just over $53 million guaranteed.

Since getting that contract, Chubb has only played in 23 games for the Dolphins.

In that contract, though, Miami does have an out after this season, which is a little painful but not too painful if they want to move on from the often-injured veteran pass rusher. Marcel Louis-Jacques, who covers the Dolphins for ESPN, laid out the details if Miami were to trade or release Chubb prior to June 1st or with a Post June 1st designation.

A trade would be almost impossible because no team wants to absorb that hefty contract and part with a draft pick or player. Most likely, we are looking at another Xavien Howard situation: The Dolphins release Chubb with a post-June 1st designation, kick the $18 million dead cap down the road to 2026, and worry about it then.

While this gives you short-term relief, eventually, moves like this and multiple moves like this that Miami has made in the past will come back to bite them.

There is the flip side of this, where Miami may want to bring Chubb back to pair with rookie sensation Chop Robinson and superstar Jaelan Phillips, who now is recovering from an ACL injury of his own, which will cause him to miss the start and possibly half of the 2025 season.

If Chubb were to be healthy enough to start the 2025 season, he could pair up with Chop until Phillips is able to return in October/November.

Miami may have to restructure Chubb’s deal (if Chubb is open to that) to convert salary into a signing bonus and add years to his deal, which is risky considering his age and injury history. Or Miami may have to gut other parts of the roster to open up cap space that makes it viable to retain Chubb at his current salary, as he is due to count $29 million against the cap in 2025.

Time will tell, but this will be an interesting story to follow in February and March.