Can Miami Avoid The Jevon Holland Contract Distraction?
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All the chatter about the Miami Dolphins this offseason has been about the team’s ability to get a long deal done with starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa but he’s not the only player looking for an extension. Jevon Holland is entering his 4th year in South Beach, and if a deal doesn’t get done before next offseason, he will hit the open market.
Holland was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, and since that point, he has turned into a really solid safety for the Dolphins. He might not be a star name yet across the NFL, but he’s a player the Dolphins would really miss if he weren’t brought back after this season. With players like Tagovailoa, Holland, and Jaylen Waddle the Dolphins have two goals, get long-term deals done, and not let the contract negotiations distract. That might be a little harder said than done because there is only so much money to go around.
Holland was asked during OTA’s about his desire for a new contract, and he didn’t shy away from the fact that he would like to get a deal done but made it clear he also doesn’t want to be a distraction.
“I mean, it’d be great to get it done,” Holland said after the Dolphins OTA on Tuesday. “I mean, it’s on my mind like, obviously, it’s my career, so I’m thinking about the break, but, I mean, it’s gonna come when it’s gonna come. I’m still getting paid, still on payroll and whatnot, still employed, so I’m just keep going, playing ball whatnot, and then let the chips fall where they may.”
He clearly is saying all the right things about just wanting to play ball, but money also talks, and he wants to get paid what he deserves. The only real leverage that players have in getting contract negotiations done is a holdout, and it’s a positive development that he has been involved in OTAs. It’s still a few months away from training camp, and things can change but right now, Holland has made it clear that he’s going to let his agent negotiate, and he will stick to the football.
“I mean, it’s implied that obviously I’m trying to get paid,” he said. “But yeah, it’s up to my agent. I told him let me know when negotiations start and then go from there, but I’m not gonna let it affect the day-to-day. Like I said, man, I’m just trying to focus on ball. That’s why I got agents so that they can handle that so I don’t gotta go up there and negotiate whatnot.
“There’s really no point because nothing that I say is going to end up getting them to pay me faster. I mean I would hope they want to pay me as fast as possible but their process is their process and I’m gonna just keep on doing my thing and focusing on golf and fishing and … yeah, you know what I mean? If they want to they want to pay me, they can pay me. But I’m just taking a day at a time.”
There is always a chance that after this season if there is no long-term deal done, a franchise tag could be placed on Holland, but for that to happen it would probably need to be a career year for the former Oregon Ducks star. He is worth a contract that is going to pay him more than his rookie deal, but at this point, he’s probably not worth $18.7 million which is what the franchise tag would pay.
Holland has started 42 games during his career with the Dolphins, and if Miami plans to bring him back, it’s hard to imagine that they want to get him to the open market. It also seems at this point that Holland wants to stay in Miami, but all it takes is one bad day in negotiations for everything to change. If the Dolphins are able to get a long-term deal done quickly with Holland, Tagovailoa, and Waddle, there won’t be any worries about distractions heading into the 2024 season. The Dolphins have high expectations for the 2024 season, and avoiding any distractions is going to be key.
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