Before the Miami Dolphins signed Terron Armstead, arguably the top free agent this offseason, their biggest acquisition on the offensive line was agreeing to a deal with left guard Connor Williams.
Williams, 25, signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. With the struggles that the Dolphins had on the left side of the line, the former Texas Longhorn, along with Armstead, will likely be asked to stabilize the unit that has been an issue in recent years.
According to Over the Cap, Williams’ contract is expected to pay him roughly $14.04 million over two seasons with $8.54 million guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus ($2.75 million) and guaranteed salary ($5.79 million). He’ll also receive a $2.75 million roster bonus in 2022 and per-game roster bonuses in 2022 and 2023 up to $1 million.
The cap numbers are reasonable on this deal. In 2022, Williams will have a $5.66 million cap hit. That would be the ninth-largest cap hit among all left guards. In 2023, his $8.38 million cap hit is set to be seventh at the position, and there will likely be more contracts that pass him before then.
At 25 years old, a short-term deal could work out for both the player and the team. If Williams performs well, he would hit the market again at 27 and could cash in (potentially with Miami) as the salary cap jumps again. If he doesn’t, the Dolphins only have to put up with him for two seasons.
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