The 2020 first-round pick is headed into his seventh NFL season
The Miami Dolphins have created some needed cap space by addressing the contract of tackle Austin Jackson. The Dolphins created more than $8 million of cap space with a restructured contract for Jackson, who reduced his salary but also got some guaranteed money.
Jackson's cap number went from $15 million to a little under $7 million with his base salary cut to the veteran minimum of $1.3 million , according to Over The Cap. Jackson also got a $4.25 million signing bonus and a $1.5 million roster bonus. Jackson now has four void years on his contract starting in 2027, meaning he is on track to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. The move — along with the releases of Jason Sanders and Alec Ingold and the trade of Minkah Fitzpatrick — will put the Dolphins under the salary cap limit of $301.2 million even after the signings of quarterback Malik Willis and kicker Zane Gonzalez go on the books when the league year kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. This was a compromise between Jackson and the Dolphins because the team would have gained less than $2 million in cap space by releasing Jackson and the player getting some guaranteed money that wasn't previously there.One of the Dolphins' three first-round picks in the 2020 NFL draft, Jackson is the second-longest-tenure player on the Miami roster behind only Zach Sieler, who arrived in 2019 after being claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens.He was limited to six starts last season because of a toe injury he sustained in training camp and then aggravated in the opener against the Indianapolis Colts.If he can stay healthy, Jackson's presence gives the Dolphins three solid starters along the offensive line with center Aaron Brewer and left tackle Patrick Paul. The issue with Jackson always has been his health, which is why the team had no appetite to have him on the roster at a $15 million cap number in 2026 — that, along with all the dead cap money the team will be carrying because of the questionable decisions of the past couple of years involving Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey. Jackson got a three-year contract extension in early December 2023 toward the end of the one season since 2022 he was able to stay healthy .Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendationsAlain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls , the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.
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