5 Dolphins blunders in recent years that still have fans shaking their heads
By Brian Miller
4. Giving Byron Jones more money than Xavien Howard
What a nightmare this turned out to be for Chris Grier and the Dolphins. Grier's intentions were good. Add a quality top CB to play opposite his Pro Bowl corner and form a fantastic secondary on the boundaries. The problem was Grier didn't realize how much "money" meant to Howard.
Howard couldn't really hold out. He was entering the first year of his new extension, a quite hefty one, but took exception to the fact that Miami was paying Jones more. Jones wasn't as good as Howard was at the time. Howard staged an "injury holdout" that made Grier and then head coach Brian Flores restructure the contract signed only one year prior to giving Howard more guaranteed money.
Howard was happy, and then the wheels fell off for Jones, and Miami was looking at another debacle. Jones would play only two seasons with the Dolphins. In 2021, his final year with Miami and his last in the league, Jones played well with 10 passes defended, but he wasn't much of a fit.
In 2022, Jones was placed on the reserve/PUP list and had Achilles surgery. During the previous season, Jones had injured but not ruptured his Achilles. He would later write on social media, "Today I can't run or jump because of the injuries I sustained while playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you." He would be designated a June 1 release in March of 2023.