The most important number you need to know from the Dolphins’ Monday roster purge of Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and others
The most important number you need to know from Miami’s Monday carnage.
Monday was a frantic start to the week for the Miami Dolphins.
Like waves crashing on the shore, we got cut after cut on Monday morning, each further signaling a massive departure from the team we’ve come to know over the past several seasons. First, it was announced that a split was coming with Bradley Chubb. Then, shortly thereafter, James Daniels. Then Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Finally, star receiver Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins have formally announced three of the cuts: Daniels, Hill, and Westbrook-Ikhine. The moves, according to most cap resources, have moved the team into salary cap compliance. Those details will be settled officially in the weeks ahead. But the most important number of the day after these reported moves is this one: 26.
Dolphins now rank 26th in the NFL in cash spending for 2026
A few weeks back, I wrote a piece focused on the cash component of Miami’s 2026 offseason. And as we outlined then, Miami’s cash spending has spiraled from a top-10 team to 26th in the league for this upcoming season:
“Miami currently ranks 10th in cash spending in 2026. But that will rapidly change — by moving on from WR Tyreek Hill (a given thanks to his $36 million scheduled salary next year), Miami drops to 19th in cash spending. Should the Dolphins also move on from EDGE Bradley Chubb, the Dolphins would drop to 26th in the NFL…There are no savings to be found in 2026 with QB Tua Tagovailoa, barring a miracle. But the rest of the mature contracts on Miami’s roster offer this team not only a chance to shed all the cash salary they’ll need, but also some surplus that could allow Miami to target a meaningful player (maybe two?) in free agency. Don’t expect to see Miami land at the top of the free agent spending in 2026. But it’s probably fair to expect they’ll be keen on adding a building block or two that isn’t a top of market contract to further bring their roster into focus.”
The first half of this puzzle has fallen into place. According to Spotrac, Miami now ranks 26th and just $3 million in front of the Atlanta Falcons for 27th in the league in cash commitments currently on their books.
More than a quarter of their cash commitments? Tua Tagovailoa’s $55 million scheduled for this upcoming season. The bottom has fallen out of this roster expeditiously from a spending perspective. And Miami could see another sizable drop if they say goodbye to SAF Minkah Fitzpatrick ($15.6 million owed, non-guaranteed) and OT Austin Jackson ($11.5 million owed, non-guaranteed).
The spending could very easily bubble back up if Miami were to re-invest in names like Jordyn Brooks, Aaron Brewer, and De’Von Achane. But the cash savings for Miami are significant.
They also set the table for Miami to quickly reset their cap outlook. The details on how Miami moves the cap obligations around is flexible. What is, and has always been, most important is that the cash commitments have plummeted. Everything else follows that single reality. And after ranking as a top-10 team for the last half-decade in cash spending, Miami now sits in the bottom quartile of the league for 2026. In just a few hours, the Dolphins lopped off nearly $67 million in cash for this year. We’re off to a good start.
Miami Dolphins News
The Dolphins’ hopes of getting something for Bradley Chubb were dashed months ago
Bradley Chubb’s time in South Florida has come to a close but the math said this was always the end.
