What Does the 2025 Tackle Leaders Extension Mean for the 2026 Miami Dolphins Linebacker Room?
Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is officially three-for-three when it comes to signing pillars of the next era for Miami, signing linebacker Jordyn Brooks to a three-year, $51.3 million deal with $35 million guaranteed. He joins running back De’Von Achane and center Aaron Brewer, who’ve both inked new deals earlier this offseason. Now with Brooks in the Dolphins’ linebacker room for the foreseeable future, what does that mean for the rest of the linebacker room, and who could be the odd man out? It could be more obvious than you think.
Breaking Down Brooks’ New Contract
Before we dive into who the odd man out could be, let’s take a look at Brooks’ new contract. As previously mentioned, it’s three years, $51.3 million, with $35 million guaranteed. For comparison, Brooks’ first deal with the Dolphins was three years, $30 million. His average annual salary now is set at $17.7 million per year, which will rank him fifth in total AAV of off-ball linebackers behind Fred Warner, Jack Campbell, Roquan Smith, and Azeez Al-Shaair. We don’t have details on his contract quite yet, so if he were to be cut/traded during his extension years, It’s not 100% certain what the numbers would be. Speaking from what we do know, though, this is a good sign from not only Brooks, who is a key piece of this roster after earning First-Team All-Pro last season, but from the Dolphins’ front office. Getting key pieces all locked down for the foreseeable future will help bring a steady baseline on both sides of the ball over that timeframe. It’s also a good sign for left tackle Patrick Paul, who’s due for an extension soon.
Who Will Be the Odd Man Out of the Dolphins Linebacker Room?
With all the good that the former Red Raiders’ contract extension brings, it also brings an uncomfortable question into the linebacker room for this season. Trade rumors across fanbases flew all throughout the post-draft process that included the Dolphins’ All-Pro linebacker, including from the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals. Both teams have potential top-five offenses for the 2026 season, but terrible defenses to pair with them. There’s no doubt that Brooks would have made a major impact on either of those teams, but with him locked up for the next few years, other teams, including the Dolphins, will have to look towards other names in a crowded linebacker room.
You can expect both rookies, Jacob Rodriguez and Kyle Louis, to be on the team and garner meaningful snaps. That leaves two big names on the chopping block: Tyrel Dodson and Willie Gay Jr. Both have intriguing cases to stay put in South Beach, however. For Dodson, the 28-year-old linebacker played a bigger role last season, playing 84.97% of the snaps on defense compared to the former Mississippi State Bulldog, who only played 12.23% of the defensive snaps. Dodson also has two years left on his contract compared to Gay Jr, who is under contract for just 2026. That would give a little more time to either Louis or Rodriguez to acclimate to the NFL level if they need it. The former Chief and Saint, who’s also 28 years old, would give the Dolphins significantly less cap space back to Miami, with a pre-June 1st cut only saving Sullivan $575k compared to the former Texas A&M Aggie’s $2.97 million.
All that being said, it’s mostly going to come down to who, if any, head coach Jeff Hafley and Sullivan decide to part ways with. It’s not 100% necessary for the Dolphins to cut either guy. Both are inexpensive, worth a combined $4.95 million on the cap, and both guys can be used as a buffer for the season for the two rookie linebackers waiting in the wings. If I had to choose one or the other, though, it would be Gay Jr. The lack of playing time a season ago, alongside not being under contract after 2026, could make him a cut or trade prospect for Miami this season, and production-wise he wouldn’t be missed on paper. It would not be surprising in the slightest, however, to see either guy or even both find themselves in new colors or staying put for this upcoming season.
