When the Miami Dolphins acquired edge rusher Bradley Chubb via trade from the Denver Broncos in 2022, he made an immediate impact for the team, and they quickly handed him a contract extension. The five-year deal worth $110 million in new money was seemingly designed to be restructured so the Dolphins could create cap space in future years, and now, the Dolphins have done exactly that.
Miami converted $13.75 million of Chubb's base salary into a signing bonus, spreading the remainder of the cap hit over future years to save the team approximately $11 million in 2024, according to ESPN. Chubb had been set to hit Miami's books for around $26.9 million in 2024, but will instead have a more manageable cap number of $15.85 million, according to over the Cap.
Chubb was having an excellent 2023 season before a torn ACL in late December cut his year short. Chubb racked up 11 sacks and 70 pressures in his 16 games, with the latter mark ranking 12th in the NFL despite his missing the final contest of the year. Both he and fellow edge rusher Jaelan Phillips are working their way back from season-ending injuries (Phillips tore his Achilles a few weeks before Chubb went down with the ACL tear), and Miami signed former Buccaneers star Shaq Barrett to help on the edge until they can return to full strength.
The Dolphins are also undergoing some scheme changes on defense, with Vic Fangio departing to take the defensive coordinator job in Philadelphia and Miami replacing him with former Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver. The Ravens have historically had a lot of success with edge rushers that oftentimes were not necessarily as talented as Chubb, so it'll be interesting to see what Weaver can help him do when he gets back on the field.
