Miami Dolphins need Byron Jones back but it may not be their decision

Byron Jones has yet to play a single down in 2022 and there are questions about whether or not the Miami Dolphins will get him back at all. The decision may not be the team’s to make.

Jones is a much-needed asset on the Dolphins’ defense. When he is playing, the Dolphins’ secondary is far better than what we have seen this year, and his absence is clearly seen with the Dolphins struggling.

Jones was expected back for training camp, he was expected back for the start of the season, he was expected back after week four, yet he still remains on the PuP list. He still remains out and Mike McDaniel says he has “no crystal ball” to predict when or if he will return.

The Dolphins are paying the price for a hefty contract that cost them more money than just Jones’ deal. Jones’ contract was the catalyst in Xavien Howard’s dissent. After the deal, Howard held out for the off-season and asked for a trade. Miami relented and gave him a contract that kept him the top-paid corner on the team.

Now, there are some small rumblings that Jones’ problems could also lie within his contract as well. Could his injury be the excuse he needs as he looks to get a new deal? Maybe the question should be “would it be surprising?”

Following week four, Jones was seen running pre-game sprints ahead of their 5th-week game and that led to many speculating that he could be activated off the PuP list soon. He wasn’t. Now here we are wondering if a 2022 return is possible.

One of the problems is that Jones opted for surgery on his Achilles in March which set him back. He could have had the surgery earlier but it wasn’t supposed to have this long of a recovery.

Back to his current salary, Jones is being paid a lot of money to sit out this year and fans are having visions of the Will Fuller 2021 season where Miami paid him a guaranteed $10 million for a handful of receptions.

Miami has no choice but to eat Jones’ 2022 salary which will pay him $5.8 million but there is no easy out in 2023. Jones will count $14.8 million in dead money if released and the Dolphins would only save $4.04 million. He will count a hefty $18 million against the Dolphins’ cap next year. Only three players will count more. Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead, and Bradley Chubb.

In 2024, Jones being released would save Miami $8.7 million against a $10 million dead money hit where Jones will once again count over $18 million in cap space.

Jones’ contract is so bad that they would carry $5.3 million in dead money in 2025 with no cap relief and in 2026 they would finally get only $2.6 million in relief while carrying $2.5 in dead money. That is the final year of his deal.

All that being said, there is a reason that some believe that Jones could be jockeying for a new deal and Miami may want to at least take a look. The deal no longer includes any guaranteed money. From 2023 to 2026, Jones has no guarantees. In 2023, only Jones and Jerome Baker have no guaranteed money in the upper 1/4 of the Dolphins’ contracted roster.

Is Jones using his injury to get a better deal or a deal with guaranteed money? I suppose it is possible but it is also unlikely. The reality is something we don’t truly know for certain. What we do know, is Jones timeframe to get back on the field is uncertain and the reasons why are just as uncertain but Miami may not have the final say in when he does return.