We are focused on the wrong part of the Miami Dolphins’ looming offseason strategy amid their challenging salary cap situation

Are we sure we’re asking the right question?

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer

Jan 22, 2026 10:54 AM EST

There has been, rightfully, plenty of discussion around the Miami Dolphins‘ salary cap situation entering the 2026 offseason.

Miami’s cap books are a byproduct of several years of minimal draft picks, aggressive moves for expensive veterans, and a few poor choices in the form of contract extensions that made life harder on the Dolphins than it could have been. Yes, that includes quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but it also includes names like Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey — who the Dolphins doubled down on with re-worked deals while having multiple years left on their contracts. But enough about the cap. Much of the strategy the Dolphins should implement in 2026 is tethered to something else. Cash.

The success of the Dolphins’ offseason reset is tethered to their 2026 cash spend first and foremost

The Miami Dolphins have been well-represented at the top of the annual cash spend list over the past few seasons. According to Spotrac, Miami ranked 10th, fifth, eight, 10th in cash payroll during the four years of the Mike McDaniel era. The team has not been short in the way of spending. The results, on the other hand, are a bit of a different animal. But when a team spends that consistently, they do typically defer more of their spending into future years against the salary cap.

That’s where Miami finds itself now. And the solution is, logically, to either slowly and gradually scale back the spending until the books re-balance, or to take a reset year en masse.

It’s probably safe to assume Miami will be doing the latter. Five of the last six years, the Dolphins have ranked inside the top-10 in cash budget. In 2019, Miami ranked 32nd and spent nearly $10 million less than any other franchise in the league. It doesn’t need to be that extreme in 2026. But a year that is cycled down should be considered a top initiative for Miami considering that they’ll be coveting the long-term flexibility for general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and company to shape a new team in their vision.

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. Miami could also purge names like OT Austin Jackson, RG James Daniels, LB Tyrel Dodson, K Jason Sanders, and trade DB Minkah Fitzpatrick. It would plant the Dolphins near the bottom of the league in cash spending.

If we’re being frank, this team was without half of these guys for large chunks of the season anyway. Jackson missed half the season. Hill suffered a catastrophic knee injury in Week 4. Daniels played three snaps, which is three more snaps than Miami got from Jason Sanders. How many names listed above would the Dolphins truly miss for their 2025 contributions? Fitzpatrick and Chubb?

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.

Thanks to the plethora of cash cuts at their disposal, it is perfectly doable, too. No matter what the current cap outlook suggests. Cut the cash. The cap will follow.

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Kyle Crabbs