The Dolphins just revealed the true cost of a third-round draft pick as full details of the Jaelan Phillips trade emerge
What’s the cost of an extra round in the NFL Draft?
The Miami Dolphins bid farewell to a former first-round draft choice on Monday morning, agreeing to send pass rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 third-round draft choice. The move marks a significant pivot towards rebuilding for the Dolphins — a self-aware maneuver that is unfortunately a necessary evil amid the team’s bloated salary cap commitments on the heels of an all-in approach from 2022 through 2024.
Miami could have, in theory, seized some major salary cap savings by trading Phillips, too — he was playing on a fifth-year option priced at over $13 million in salary. But as a part of the effort to maximize their return in the trade with the Eagles, it was reported that the Dolphins ate some of his remaining salary in order to get the top-100 draft choice.
We now know how much the Dolphins committed to keep and the proverbial price of a third-round pick.
The Dolphins added price paid to secure a top-100 draft selection in 2026 is now known
The Dolphins, per Field Yates of ESPN, agreed to eat $5.1255M of Phillips’ remaining salary this season. It means the Eagles will have Phillips on their books for $1.5 million the rest of the year, the grand sum of which is what the Dolphins are ultimately saving from what they’d have paid if they’d have kept Phillips on the roster for the rest of the season.
It’s a cheap cost for Philadelphia, offset in part by the handsome price the Eagles paid with the draft compensation. That, of course, is negated in part by the Eagles having multiple third-round draft choices on their docket for the 2026 NFL Draft, so moving one for Phillips does not keep a massive hole in the draft order with no Eagles picks.
Full terms of the Jaelan Phillips trade
- Philadelphia receives: EDGE defender Jaelan Phillips
- Miami receives: 2026 third-round draft selection (Philadelphia’s own pick)
- Dolphins pay $5.1255M of remaining salary, Eagles inherit $1.5M
There is some inspiration to be draft for the next Dolphins general manager in that approach by Howie Roseman. His ability to pool draft resources annually in excess leaves him wiggle room to wheel and deal without compromising the overall depth, quality and cost-control of the roster. That’s a layer the Dolphins have faltered the last few years.
But that is water under the bridge at this stage. The man responsible for the Dolphins’ allocation of resources and roster decisions, Chris Grier, is no longer at the helm. The best this team can do at this stage is start the process of prepping for the future.
That process begun on Monday morning. And there’s a pretty good chance it won’t be the last move Miami makes.
Miami Dolphins News
The Dolphins’ trade of Jaelan Phillips to the Eagles marks more than a roster move — it’s a full-circle moment powered by Miami’s growing 2026 draft capital
Time is a flat circle, friends.
