Miami Dolphins Will Make Tough Decision On Ryan Tannehill
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins will have a very tough decision to make this off-season. Ryan Tannehill is now in position to negotiate a new contract and the Dolphins need to decide if he is worth the 5th year option outlined in the CBA.
Under the CBA all first round players are signed to four year deals and those first round players are subject to a fifth year option that can be exercised by the team they are on. For the first 10 picks of the draft, the option carries a transition tag equivalent in terms of monetary compensation.
For the Dolphins, the 5th year is coming due on Ryan Tannehill. It’s an almost no brainer that the Dolphins will exercise this option and that Tannehill, or at least his wife, will get a significant raise come this off-season.
While the Dolphins will have the option to extend now the power then moves to Tannehill who will have all of next season to improve his worth and it could climb significantly. The other option for the Dolphins would be to redo his current contract now and likely get a better deal for themselves but Tannehill, while not elite yet, will still command a lot higher salary.
For those worried that Tannehill could play out the option year and then jet to another team, in theory that is possible but the Dolphins could also opt to use the franchise tag on their QB although that would pay him elite money for a season.
At some point in the nearing future, the Dolphins have to make a decision on a quarterback who is showing signs of improving his gameplay but at the same time lacking a deep ball that hinders the offense. All of these decisions will be put on the shoulders of GM Dennis Hickey.
Compounding the situation further is the future of head coach Joe Philbin. Is Tannehill an enticing commodity for a new head coach? Would a new HC want to bring in his own QB? Will Joe Philbin or is Joe Philbin even going to lose his job at all?
Those are questions that need to be answered as well by the organization before they can or should make a determination on Tannehill. For now the 5th year option should be exactly what I said earlier, a no-brainer. Tannehill has shown he has the make-up to warrant that committment but it’s beyond the 2015 season that it will get interesting.