Why this Dolphins veteran could be playing his final year or two in Miami

Tua Tagovailoa is going to eat up more than $50 million in Miami Dolphins cap space when he gets his extension. The Dolphins have to decide what they are going to offer Jaelan Phillips, who will play 2025 under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. Miami still has to decide on Jevon Holland's future too.

One player that could see his contract terminated as a result of these impending moves is Bradley Chubb. The Dolphins can't make a move this year, but 2026 could be an interesting offseason for Chubb and the Dolphins.

Miami will have to make a decision on Terron Armstead and the logical conclusion is that he is designated a post-June 1st release in 2025. The Dolphins could look at doing the same with Chubb in the near future.

Could Bradley Chubb's time with the Dolphins end sooner rather than later?

If Miami opts to take this route with Armstead, they will save $14.3 million against a $7.8 million hit in dead money. Miami can eat that easily. With Chubb, the Dolphins would eat $9.1 million, but save $20 million in 2025. This is a huge contract out for the Dolphins, who may opt to pay that money to Phillips instead.

If the Dolphins view Chubb as a big part of the 2025 season with Phillips playing on the fifth-year option, they could wait until the 2026 offseason. The interesting part of this is that Chubb's contract numbers don't change according to OvertheCap.com. The savings and dead money are identical in both 2025 and 2026.

The chances of Chubb seeing the final years of his contract, 2027 and 2028, are pretty slim unless he becomes a perennial Pro Bowl pass-rusher who anchors the defense. Coming off an ACL injury doesn't bode well for Chubb, however.

Unfortunately, Chubb is a high-priced player who Miami may not be able to afford as they move forward with other players on the roster who will be getting new extensions.