Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that the Dolphins have informed CB Xavien Howard he will be released at the start of the league year.
According to Garafolo, Howard is expected to have “significant interest” as a free agent this offseason.
It’s worth mentioning that signing Howard to a contract won’t impact a team’s 2025 compensatory picks, given that he was released this offseason.
This is likely a post-June 1 designated release, which would create $18,500,000 and leave $7,406,284 of dead money for the 2024 season. A straight release would only result in $2,801,000 of cap savings and a staggering $23,105,284 of dead money.
Miami is currently expected to be over the cap by $38 million, so moves like this were expected for a defensive unit that will be making a noticeable transformation in 2024.
Howard, 30, is a former second-round pick of the Dolphins back in 2016. He was in the final year of his four-year, $6,128,038 rookie deal and set to make a base salary of $1,285,641 for the 2019 season when he agreed to a five-year, $76.5 million extension that included $46 million guaranteed with Miami.
Howard had three years remaining on this contract and was set to make a base salary of $12,975,000 for the 2022 season when he agreed to a new five-year, $90 million extension.
In 2023, Howard appeared 13 games for the Dolphins and recorded 45 tackles, one interception and 12 pass defenses.
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