Kelly: Who sits on Miami’s salary throne? These are the highest-paid Dolphins players in 2024 | Opinion

Five players will account for just shy of $110 million of the Miami Dolphins’ payroll in 2024.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, pass rusher Bradley Chubb and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa eat up a substantial amount of Miami’s salary cap because each will receive a salary north of $19 million for this upcoming season.

Collectively, there are 12 players on the Miami Dolphins’ training camp roster who make $7 million or more, which has become the new dividing line between the NFL’s high earners and the league’s middle class.

These 12 high earners need to serve as the foundation for this upcoming team, setting the tone for the rest of the roster.

Here’s a breakdown of the Dolphins’ top 12 salaries.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey — $26,110,000

The Dolphins converted $13.9 million of Ramsey’s salary and an $11 million roster bonus into a signing bonus, and then added three void years to his contract, which expires in 2025, to create almost $20 million in cap space. That maneuver makes the seven-time Pro Bowler the highest-earning cornerback in the NFL of all time, breaking a record he previously had, and putting him ahead of L’Jarius Snead, who will take home $24.3 million this season from the Tennessee Titans. Next season Ramsey is scheduled to earn $19.5 million in what will be the final year of his deal with the Dolphins.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — $23,171,000

Under the terms of his fifth-year option, the Dolphins’ Pro Bowl quarterback is going to be paid just less than $1.3 million per NFL week this season, which is his biggest paycheck of his five-year career. However, Tagovailoa and his camp are pushing for a multiyear extension that guarantees him a respectable salary for at least the next three, if not four seasons, and the sticking point has been the amount of guaranteed money, and the average salary per season. If an extension doesn’t get done we might see Tagovailoa sit out training camp’s practices and the entire exhibition season, which could hinder the development of the offense.

Pass rusher Bradley Chubb — $20,530,000 if all bonuses are triggered

The Dolphins reworked the terms of Chubb’s deal for the second straight offseason to create some salary cap relief, which allowed the team to sign a few free agents. This will be the last season where the five-year, $110 million contract he signed in 2022 will be guaranteed, which means the Dolphins can escape his $20.2 million salary in 2025 by designating him a July 1 release if he doesn’t perform like an elite pass rusher when he returns from the ACL injury he sustained last December.

Receiver Tyreek Hill — $20,015,000 if bonuses are triggered

Hill has annually been one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL for the past four seasons, but he’s consistently looking for his contract to get adjusted when other receivers surpass him. This year is no exception, especially since this is the final portion of his contract that’s guaranteed. Hill openly admits he wants a new deal, and hopes to end his career with the Dolphins. But both sides need to figure out at what price, and whether it’s beneficial to get a deal done before the start of the 2024 season or after it. Expect Justin Jefferson’s new $28.4 million-a-year salary — which is what the Minnesota receiver averages in the first four years of his five-year, $140 million contract — to be Hill’s new salary bar when we extract the fake money teams put in contracts for appearance sake.

Receiver Jaylen Waddle — $19,925,000

This offseason the Dolphins signed Waddle to an extension that will pay the franchise’s first receiver to produce three-straight 1,000 yard receiving seasons $109 million during the next five seasons. The bulk of his 2024 salary comes from his signing bonus, which was just shy of $19 million. Waddle’s new deal, which will pay him $21.8 million a season if all five years are honored at the present terms, makes him the ninth-highest-paid receiver in the NFL.

Offensive tackle Terron Armstead — $10,000,000 if all bonuses are triggered

The Dolphins shook Armstead down this offseason, making the often-injured 32-year-old offensive tackle take a $4.25 million pay cut. Every dollar of this year’s contract was guaranteed, but this might be the final season in Miami, if not the NFL, for the five-time Pro Bowler because none of his $14.3 million salary in 2025 is guaranteed. Armstead needs to have a relatively healthy season to keep the hefty paychecks coming.

Inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks — $9,500,000

The Dolphins signed this fifth-year inside linebacker to a three-year deal worth $26.2 million ($16 million of which is guaranteed) with the hopes he will be an upgrade over Jerome Baker, who coincidentally replaced Brooks in Seattle. The bulk of Brooks’ year-one salary was his $8.3 million signing bonus. He will make just less than $8.4 million a season for the next two years, but only his 2025 salary is guaranteed.

Defensive tackle Zach Sieler — $8,670,000

Last training camp Miami signed Sieler to a three-year extension that was worth $30.75 million, and he rewarded the team by having a breakout year in 2023, contributing 63 tackles, 10 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. Based on last year’s production his deal looks like one of the NFL’s biggest bargains. The Dolphins converted $7.5 million of his base salary into a bonus to create cap space for the past offseason.

Pass rusher Chop Robinson — $8,506,800

The Dolphins’ 2024 first-round pick got the bulk of his four-year, $14 million contract in his signing bonus, which accounts for $7.7 million of his 2024 salary. From this point the former Penn State standout will be a bargain annually, earning $1.47 million in 2025, $2.16 million in 2026 and $2.8 million in 2027, which is the final year of his rookie deal. The Dolphins will also have a fifth-year option they could trigger in the offseason that follows his third NFL season.

Cornerback Kendall Fuller — $8,000,000

The Dolphins signed Fuller, an eight-year veteran who has started 93 regular season NFL games, to a two-year deal worth $15 million with the hope that he would become the perfect complement to Ramsey. The bulk of Fuller’s compensation this season comes from his $6.7 million signing bonus. He’s on the books for $7 million in 2025, but only $2 million of that contract is guaranteed.

Edge rusher Shaquil Barrett — $7,000,000

The Dolphins added Barrett after losing Andrew Van Ginkel to the Minnesota Vikings, and he will need to serve as a starter early this season while Chubb and Jaelan Phillips work their way back from last year’s season-ending injuries. The bulk of Barrett’s salary from his one-year deal comes from his $5,540,000 signing bonus.

Center Aaron Brewer — $7,000,000

Miami signed Brewer to a three-year deal worth $21 million to serve as Connor Williams’ replacement. The former Tennessee Titans starter had $13 million of his contract guaranteed, was given a $5.6 million signing bonus, and will earn $7 million each season. But his 2026 season is subsequently a team option year.