The James Daniels saga keeps getting worse for the Dolphins — and the focus must now shift from a comeback to how cleanly Miami can engineer an offseason exit
Chris Grier’s final parting gift to Miami is another sizable contract that can’t get on the field.
The James Daniels saga with the Miami Dolphins continues to become more and more unsettling by the week. Daniels, an offensive lineman who was Miami’s lone prized signing in March on a multi-year contract, was supposed to be the stabilizing force on the offensive interior for the Dolphins. Amid a return from a 2024 Achilles injury, Daniels was active, involved and managed to be fully cleared shortly after the start of training camp from his rehab process.
It looked like his three-year, $24 million contract was a potential steal for Miami. But it’s looking like something else entirely as the calendar crawls towards December. We’ve seen Daniels for just three plays this season. And Mike McDaniel’s latest update on Monday should have Miami fans less focused on if we’ll see Daniels back in the lineup sooner rather than later and more focused on the potential exit ramp available out of his contract this offseason.
James Daniels’ troublesome injury saga raises questions about how well Miami can get out of his contract after a disastrous 2025
“I don’t want to arbitrarily say (Daniels) is or he isn’t (returning)…I don’t really know if he will return or not, so that’s kind of where I’m at.”
— Mike McDaniel on Jame Daniels’ status after suffering a Week 1 pec injury
Talk about a glowing review from a head coach on a player! It was reported in the immediate aftermath of Daniels’ injury that he did not tear his pec muscle and, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, he was expected to be out ‘three to four weeks’. We’re now teetering on three months. Sometimes you catch a bad break and things don’t work out. It happens. It’s odd, but it happens.
Here’s where it leaves Miami, though. If Daniels, who is 28 years old and under contract through 2027, is going to end up only having played 211 snaps in his last two seasons, he’ll have to be reclassified from a potential solution at guard to a major injury liability. That’s the reality we’re facing now unless Daniels is able to make a successful return to the lineup.
With his contract, Daniels collected $8.263 million for his services in 2025. Nearly $3 million per snap is not considered a good return on investment. That’s the bad news. But the good news is Miami can hit the eject button on this experience expeditiously if they so desire.
$3.48 million of Daniels’ 2026 salary fully guarantees on the third day of the league year in March of 2026. If he’s off the roster by then and able to pass a physical, Miami can void that money entirely and owe Daniels no more cash from the $24 million in total value that he was in line for when he signed his contract. The salary cap ramifications of such a move? Miami would absorb a $4.8 million dead cap charge for 2026 if they did not designate him as a Post-June 1st cut. If Miami designated Daniels as a Post-June 1st cut, they could split the dead cap between 2026 ($1.2 million) and 2027 ($3.6 million).
This cost is not prohibitive to moving on either way. And if Daniels is unable to get back into the fray this season, it would seem like there’s not much to talk about for the Dolphins — no matter what coaching or football operation changes end up being made this offseason.
Miami Dolphins News
Miami Dolphins’ general manager candidate hot board features a compelling mix of rising stars and seasoned veterans as Miami prepares for a pivotal hiring cycle
The Miami Dolphins have a bevy of talented options for their next general manager.
