With NFL free agency less than two weeks away, the Miami Dolphins have a lot of decisions to make.
Though they don’t have much salary-cap space to work with entering free agency (roughly $9.4 million), that can change with a few restructures and releases over the next two weeks.
If the Dolphins want to retain star safety Jevon Holland, who is the team’s biggest free agent this offseason, they’ll need to make some big moves to shift some money around.
Coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Holland is expected to receive a hefty contract similar to what Xavier McKinney got last offseason with the Green Bay Packers.
“While Jevon Holland did not have a great year in 2024, some inside the league believe his body of work should land him somewhere in the Xavier McKinney range (four years, $68 million),” Fowler wrote Sunday.
A deal in that range would put Holland near the top-five among safeties in average annual value.
The Dolphins have a long list of players set to hit free agency, including their starting safety tandem in Holland and veteran Jordan Poyer.
Holland has been a key piece of the Dolphins secondary since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2021 out of Oregon. He’s been both reliable and productive with 57 of a possible 68 starts.
A versatile asset who can line up at all three levels of the defense, Holland thrived as a free safety under Brian Flores during his rookie season when he allowed a career-best 88.6 passer rating on 22 targets, according to Pro Football Focus.
The 2024 campaign was the first of Holland’s career without an interception. In 15 games (all starts), he recorded 62 tackles (42 solo) with four passes defensed and two tackles for loss.
The Dolphins could replace Holland with a draft pick like Malaki Starks, and that may be the path they need to take if his market shapes up like McKinney’s did.
MORE MIAMI DOLPHINS NEWS
Dolphins predicted to replace Jevon Holland with All-American prospect
Cowboys predicted to land Dolphins star free agent on $60 million deal
Bears star predicted to leave Chicago for $30 million deal with Dolphins
