The Miami Dolphins have a lot of roster moves they would like to make, but they can't do all of them without leaving themselves completely void of spendable cap space. There is only so much dead money they can eat.
At the center of many discussions is left tackle Austin Jackson. Jackson has become a leader in the locker room over the years. That's good because he spends more time there than he does on the field. When Jackson is healthy, he is a good offensive lineman, but as we have said many times before, he isn't healthy very often.
Jon-Eric Sullivan could take another big cap hit by releasing him, and he still might, but he publicly said on Tuesday that he would like to keep Jackson on the team in 2026.
Miami Dolphins GM may have given a clue as to his plans with Austin Jackson
Keeping Jackson would be a mistake. He can't be trusted to remain healthy all season, but releasing him is costly. So how does a new GM approach this? He works on getting the contract changed.
According to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post, Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that he would like to see Jackson on the 2026 team and that discussions have been held with his agency. Let's start there.
There is no reason to discuss anything with Jackson's agency because he is under contract. On the other hand, you don't need to discuss anything with them if you were planning to release him. You would, however, reach out to discuss a reworking of his contract. Or to put it more bluntly, asking him to take a pay cut.
This is the likely scenario that Sullivan is talking about. If Miami can retain his leadership at a reduced price, then everything works out, and Jackson either gets on the field and plays, or he gets hurt again, and the Dolphins are not bent over the cap trying to get out of it.
Regardless, if we did a bit deeper into what he is saying, the Dolphins are not looking at Jackson as part of their future, just their immediate season ahead. That makes sense given the amount of dead money the team is likely to have in 2026.
In 2027, Jackson's contract is no more favorable to the Dolphins than it is now. Miami would still take a $9.4 million hit with no relief if released next year, but if designated a post-June 1st release, Miami would split that money and get $5.2 million next season.
Whether Jackson is part of the team this season or not might depend on whether or not Sullivan can renegotiate what is left of his contract, specifically related to this season.