As it turns out, spending recklessly has its consequences. Chris Grier learned this the hard way, as his wheeling and dealing earned him a one-way ticket out of South Florida. The unfortunate reality is that, as the steward of the franchise, he drove a bus full of the unwilling Miami Dolphins fanbase over a cliff. Now, a new regime — and those same shell-shocked fans — are left to pick up the pieces and start over.
After an offseason that saw Jon-Eric Sullivan jettison nearly every recognizable Dolphin, Miami wound up selecting a league-high 13 players in the 2026 NFL Draft. With the flurry of daily reports of rookies inking their initial deals with other teams, fans may be wondering what is taking the Dolphins so long. In fact, according to ProFootballTalk, 166 of 257 rookies have already signed as of writing. The Dolphins join the Lions and Rams as the only three teams without any of their rookie class under contract.
Those pesky consequences do in fact exist. Chris Grier's decisions to hand out extensions like Halloween candy cost the franchise even in his wake. Look no further than the Dolphins' $179 million in dead cap charges to see the case in point. As of right now, Miami has around $1.8 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap. They could not sign their first-round picks at this juncture, even if all parties were amenable to it.
Miami Dolphins must wait until June 1 to sign their rookie class, when they will receive a $20 million boost in space
Back in March, when the Dolphins were giving plenty of veterans their walking papers, the "Post June 1" term was being thrown around a lot. The designation is a salary cap maneuver that allows a team to split a player's dead cap hit over two years, alleviating the immediate suffering and providing some much-needed flexibility. Teams are limited to two uses of it each year, and the Dolphins opted to use it on Tua Tagovailoa and Bradley Chubb.
Due to the nature of Tagovailoa's contract, he held the team effectively hostage. They gained almost nothing by releasing him with the "Post June 1" designation. Had they released him outright, they would have needed to add an extra $43.8 million in dead cap charges.
They had no choice — if they wished to field a roster at all in 2026, at least. Chubb, on the other hand, had a bloated base salary that was not guaranteed. By designating him their second "Post June 1" cut, they gained roughly $20 million in space, with the caveat being that it only becomes available on June 1.
The Dolphins' 2026 draft class is expected to carry a combined cap charge of about $21.2 million, though another important wrinkle to know is that only the top 51 cap hits on a team count toward the salary cap. This means the Dolphins' fifth- through seventh-round picks wouldn't count toward the cap at this time, and also explains why Miami was able to ink their undrafted rookie class, whose minimum deals don't count toward the cap either.
Fret not, Dolphins fans. No, Kadyn Proctor and Chris Johnson aren't being divas. The Texas Tech boys, Jacob Rodriguez and Caleb Douglas, are not embroiled in a Wild West standoff with Jon-Eric Sullivan over contractual details. It is simply a matter of accounting. The Dolphins do not have the cap room to sign their rookie class — until June 1. It will not be a surprise if nearly the entire class signs quickly thereafter.
The need to hold off on signing their rookie deals is the latest development that may have this rookie class thinking, "What on earth have we gotten ourselves into?" A sticky situation to be sure, but one that's rife with opportunity. If this new regime nailed the class, these rookies are ready to pounce on that very opportunity.
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