The Dolphins have nearly a million reasons to pull for a young breakout player to finish the 2025 season strong
One of Miami’s midseason breakouts can save the Dolphins a pretty penny this season by staying in the lineup.
The Miami Dolphins have several players this season who were given the chance to go out and earn some extra income with their play in 2025. Miami, throughout the midst of what has become their final offseason under the direction of former general manager Chris Grier, offered several structured contracts that gave power to the players in the form of incentive money.
Several of those players are on the doorstep of achieving some of those thresholds for extra pay, including tight end Darren Waller. The veteran tight end, however, is now stuck in limbo and facing another player on the roster who looms as a threat for playing time the rest of the way. The Dolphins have nearly a million reasons why they should be hoping that young tight end Greg Dulcich continues to flash the rest of the season.
Darren Waller looms two touchdowns away from a $750,000 bonus while stuck on injured reserve
The Dolphins enjoyed some major flashes from Darren Waller once he (finally) made his debut for Miami. It appeared that Miami had struck gold in the form of a big-bodied red zone threat that flashed instant chemistry with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Waller, in just four games, posted four touchdown receptions. It’s put him on the doorstep of one of his four incentives in his contract for the 2025 season in Miami: with six receiving touchdowns, Waller earns a $750,000 bonus.
The odds are slim that Waller achieves any of the other three performance measures in his contract. He’ll need 55 receptions, 700 yards, and 60% of the team’s offensive snaps to hit any of those incentives. Waller, who is eligible to return from injured reserve after Miami’s bye week at the earliest, currently sits at 10 receptions for 117 yards while playing in 26% of the snaps in the four games he’s played for the Dolphins.
Darren Waller’s 2025 performance incentives
- 55+ receptions: $750,000
- 700+ receiving yards: $750,000
- 6+ receiving touchdowns: $750,000
- 60%+ snaps played: $750,000
The emergence of Greg Dulcich in the tight end room should surpass the upside of Waller getting back on the field, anyway. Dulcich, a 25-year-old and a former top-100 draft selection, has one 15+ yard reception in each of Miami’s last two games. He’s a player who could offer the Dolphins some long-term appeal on their roster, which is not the case for a 33-year-old Waller, who spent last season retired.
There was a world in which Dulcich fails to take on an active role as the flex tight end, and Waller’s return could be seen as an invigorating late-season addition back into the lineup. But that’s not the world that we live in. Injuries have derailed Waller’s forecast to achieve three of his four $750,000 performance incentives this season. And Greg Dulcich should absolutely derail the last of them, too — the Dolphins need to let the young guy play and determine if there’s a future in Miami awaiting him beyond this season.
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