After a slew of moves drained the organization of any available cap space, the Miami Dolphins and veteran offensive lineman Austin Jackson have agreed to a restructured contract.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Dolphins lowered Jackson's 2025 cap hit from $13.83 million to $5.79 million by converting $9.71 million of the offensive lineman's 2025 salary into a signing bonus. This move gives the Dolphins an additional $7.8 million in cap space.
Earlier this offseason, the Dolphins and linebacker Bradley Chubb agreed to a revised contract that reduced his base salary from $19.5 million to $3.1 million. This one isn't quite as team-friendly.
Unlike Chubb, Jackson isn't taking a pay cut. This move instead moves the money around, allowing Miami some short-term flexibility to sign remaining free agents and their 2025 NFL Draft class.
Jackson has started 54 of 56 games in Miami, but his career has been a bit of a roller coaster. After struggling early in his career, Jackson had a career year in 2023 playing beside future Pro Bowler Robert Hunt.
Last season, Jackson's play took a step back after Hunt's departure to the Carolina Panthers. He only started eight games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Miami hopes this additional cap space goes towards retaining unrestricted free agent Calais Campbell, but his playing future is up in the air. The 38-year-old future Hall-of-Famer is reportedly contemplating retirement, but last season showed he has plenty left in the tank.
For Campbell, the answer isn't so simple. Not only does he have to decide whether he wants to put his body through the grind of another NFL season, but he also must decide if the Dolphins are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. If not, this added cap space could simply be rolled over to next season.
