Update:
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that the Dolphins are considering the possibility franchising DE Olivier Vernon and trading him to another team.
La Canfora mentions that the limited number of quality pass-rushers in this year’s free agent market could boost the value of Vernon in a potential trade.
Allowing him to sign elsewhere would leave Miami with a likely 2017 third-round compensatory pick. However, they could instead try to trade him for a better return than that if they feel like they can’t afford to sign him to a long-term deal of keep him at the franchise tag salary.
La Canfora also mentions that the Dolphins are continuing to work hard to try to get their veteran DE Cameron Wake signed to a restructured deal, which would boost their chances of retaining Vernon.
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Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, citing multiple league source, reports that there have been talks of the Dolphins using their franchise tag on DE Olivier Vernon and then field trade offers for him.
Earlier in the week, the Dolphins said that they were trying to get a long-term deal done with Vernon, but there’s no question that their cap situation will ultimately influence what they’re able to do in regards to Vernon.
Raanan mentions that it wouldn’t be easy for the Dolphins to trade Vernon, considering that he would be on a one-year contract worth over $15 million.
Any team willing to trade for Vernon would need to sign him to an extension in order to make it worth parting with draft compensation for him.
Should Vernon be available either in free agency or for trade, Raanan expects the Giants to have at least some interest.
Vernon, 25, is entering the final year of his four-year, $2,818,080 rookie contract and stands to make a base salary of $700,000 for the 2015 season.
The free agent market isn’t all that deep at defensive end, which could lead to Vernon breaking the bank with so much cap space available to be spent.
In 2015, Vernon appeared in 15 games and recorded 55 tackles and seven sacks for the Dolphins. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 1 defensive end in a 4-3 system out of 51 qualifying players.
We have featured in our Top 100 – 2016 Free Agents list.
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