Breaking News: Vernon Carey Locked Up

UPDATE NUMBER 2:  THe Carey deal is better than originally reported.  Carey can earn “UP” to 42 million if “ALL” incentives are reached over the life of the deal and while the signing bonus has yet to be revealed, his guaranteed portion is 15 million.  It is not known how that guarantee is split over the life of the deal.  The first year of the contract reportedly pays Carey 17.5 million dollars but that will not be the cap figure.

(UPDATE – Contract details at the bottom of this article)

The Miami Dolphins have decided that Vernon Carey is their answer at the RT position after all.  Today the team has resigned the Miami University graduate to a mult-term contract.  Details of the deal are not available yet, but the signing will allow the Dolphins to focus on other areas during free agency and the draft.

Much speculation has been making its way around the internet in the last few weeks that the Phins would allow Carey to test the market.  That is no longer the case.  The Dolphins will also focus their attention on their remaining free agents as well.  Yeremiah Bell becomes the top priority for the team while many still believe that Channing Crowder will not be back.

The Dolphins suffered through a rough season last year with the running game outside of the wildcat formation.  Vernon Carey although serviceable was not stellar on the right side.  The free agent market is not deep in lineman and the Dolphins are still likely to try and upgrade their center position.

The announcement has yet to be made official by the team and the initial report comes from the Palm Beach Post.  There are some rumors that the deal is a 3 year deal and others believe it to be around 4 or 5.  The question of course is what was the price.  Earlier this month, some believed that Carey was seeking a 22 million dollar deal with around 9 to 11 million guaranteed.

The Dolphins are still expected to seek additional lineman in Aprils’ draft.

Contract update:  The Vernon Carey contract is for 6 years and 42 million dollars which averages out to be around 7 million a year.  Of course with guarantees and signing bonuses that number will be skewed.  No word on whether it is a front or backloaded deal.  The deal however will shore up that side of the line for the forseeable future.  The deal as it stands now, is hardly breaking the bank for the Dolphins.  In recent years, some guards have been receiving that kind of money on 4 years deals.  Carey’s contract on the surface seems pretty good.

Carey had been seeking a 22 million 3 year deal.  The Phins doubled both the amount and the years of the deal.