The Miami Dolphins are not making many moves, and it seems as though this will be the new normal under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. Of course, it helps when you don't have money to spend. The same can't be said for Miami's rivals.
The New England Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl loss and have a lot of spending money. With needs on their roster, they recently stole now-former Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker from other tackle-needy teams.
Signing the OL was almost just another signing, until the per-game bonus was reported.
The Patriots' three-year, $42 million deal with OL Alijah Vera-Tucker includes a whopping $250,000 for each game he's active -- one of the biggest per-game active roster bonuses in NFL history.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2026
A sensible hedge with AVT, who is very talented but has battled injuries.
Miami Dolphins fans are laughing hysterically at the Patriots' attempt to keep new OL on the field
Vera-Tucker has spent his first five seasons with the New York Jets after being drafted 14th overall in 2021. Vera-Tucker started 16 of 16 games his rookie season, then missed ten games and another 12 the following season. In 2024, he started in 15 games, but he missed the entire 2025 season.
The Patriots are hoping to upgrade their offensive line and are banking on the former Jets lineman to recover. Vera-Tucker can play guard and has played tackle, but the Patriots apparently are concerned enough about his availability that they are giving him an added incentive to show up.
$250,000 per game, as Pelissero points out, is the biggest in NFL history. Typically, these types of add-ons are to give players more money to keep contract numbers low. They are considered "likely to be earned" incentives. That isn't the case here.
The Patriots need him on the field, and if he has a massive carrot dangling in front of him, it might be more of an incentive to push through something minor or nagging. It's the second time in two days that free agency failures for the Patriots have made Miami fans snicker.
As Dolphins fans, we can't really argue with the process. After nine years of Chris Grier, nothing surprises us anymore. In 2016, the Dolphins gave Koa Misi a reworked contract despite back issues. Miami took a $3.1 million cap hit for Misi to play just three games, but the contract guaranteed money in 2017 as well. Misi didn't play at all that year, making 2016 his final NFL season. It's hard to imagine the new front office doing anything like that, and it's a nice change of pace.