Dolphins Challenge Cancer rides to major victory over weekend

Dolphins Challenge Cancer raises over $12 million.

The 2024 NFL offseason is underway, yet, over the weekend at Hard Rock Stadium, One Team came together for One Fight, which is more important than what you can find on a scoreboard or boxscore.

Dolphins Challenge Cancer held its 14th annual event on Saturday, and it was a massive hit. The DCC stands as the largest fundraising event in the NFL and represents the largest known philanthropic pledge in all professional sports.

The #OneTeamOneFight mentality has the Miami Dolphins partnered with the University of Miami and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as thousands of participants and donors.

Thanks to the outstanding efforts by the Dolphins organization, the DCC, as well as countless fans who helped this cause with their fundraising and awareness efforts. Most notably for many, superfan Lisa Siegel. Siegel has always been a die-hard Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes fan and her ties to both organizations run in her family. Her father began working at the University of Miami in 1966, and she followed in her dad’s footsteps, as she’s worked for the university since 1989.

Her connection to the DCC deepened when her mom was diagnosed with stage IV Peritoneal Cancer. Siegel lost her mother just 17 days after she was admitted to the hospital. She is one of the many “Heavy-Hitter” fundraisers, and she alone was responsible for raising over $26,000 for this year from 530 donations, in part of the $12 million total that was raised this DCC to combat cancer.

Whether it was riding a bike, running, or walking to support this cause, the Miami Dolphins family was in full force, with ownership, current and former players, and, of course, a Hall of Famer or two.

Sending the bikers off on the 54-mile ride was none other than number 54 himself, Zach Thomas. Miami’s latest enshrine to Canton, as well as fellow immortals Dan Marino, Larry Csonka and Jason Taylor, all had their respective numbers match certain legs of the rides, those being 13 miles, 39 miles and 99 miles.

To no surprise, Thomas was dressed, ready to ride and among the best finishers. He even had time to mess around with unrestricted free-agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Following the rides, Thomas and Wilkins laughed it up, as participants had a chance to relax after their rides and mingle with Dolphins past and present.

Of course, the metaphorical elephant in the room is what will happen with Wilkins contractually. While that is a conversation for another piece, seeing Wilkins participate was not just encouraging for his potential return but also a testament to the quality person he is.

The same can be said about former Dolphin Mack Hollins, who again participated as a bike rider, as he did last year. Recently let go defensive assistant coach and Dolphins legend Sam Madison also rode in support on Saturday. Legendary wide receiver Mark Duper returned to the event while owner Stephen Ross, president Tom Garfinkel and head coach Mike McDaniel were all on hand as well.

If you’re looking for inspiration and motivation on top of all of this dedication, look no further than Jaelan Phillips. The edge rusher who suffered a torn Achilles against the New York Jets on Black Friday in November was at the DCC, walking, talking and being the fantastic person he has proven to be.

Phillips stopped by to chat with Dolphin podcasters Seth Levit of “The Fish Tank” and Travis Wingfield of “DriveTime,” and his mere presence was a jolt of energy for Dolphin fans eagerly waiting for his return to the field.

Levit summed up the conversation, saying, “Jaelan is truly a special individual. Because of his upbringing, as well as the adversity he’s had to face with respect to overcoming some significant injuries, we’re seeing a guy with a much broader perspective than most people have at 24 years old. As a result, you’ve got a young player who is one of the most gifted and relentlessly driven athletes you will find on a football field, yet he somehow manages to bring that same energy to his work in the community. It’s uncanny, and we are all very lucky to have him representing the Miami Dolphins.”

In regards to the DCC, Levit added, “This year’s DCC was electric. Thousands of people flooded Hard Rock Stadium for one altruistic reason, and it was a beautiful sight. From the F1 starting line to the integration of the Paddock garages to seeing Dan Marino, Zach Thomas, of course, my guy O.J. McDuffie, and so many others come together for a singular purpose was inspirational, to say the least. How can we not appreciate the Miami Dolphins for building the largest fundraising event in the entire National Football League?”

Through all the fundraising and awareness, the DCC could be looked at as one of sports most successful and important philanthropic events and entities. The 2024 DCC increased that overall fundraising total to over $75 million since the event began in 2010, and kudos to Executive Director Javier Sanchez and his team within a team.

In addition to Siegel, pillars of the event like past Fans of the Year, Ian Berger, Marc Angelo and Allie Goodman were present and integral in helping spread awareness and are constant supporters and advocates of the DCC and all things Dolphins philanthropy. Also in attendance was the founder of one of the top fan groups in this base, Danny Johnson of The Positive Porpoise.

Berger, who represented the Dolphins as 2020 Fan of the Year and continues to be a beacon for this fanbase, is a consistent advocate of the DCC. “Dolphins Challenge Cancer represents the best in all of us,” he said in a direct message. “Thousands of participants raising funds that could potentially help millions is an emotional and rewarding experience!”

Angelo, the 2021 Dolphins Fan of the Year, heads the NorCal DolFan Club, a proud fundraiser for DCC riding for Team Positive Porpoise. He said, “TPP is almost to $71,000 raised this year and $280,000+ in the four years supporting DCC.” The NDC has supported DCC for nine years and has been on Team TPP for the last three years, riding in the event.

Goodman, the 2022 FOTY for the Dolphins, also known as “Dolphreaky,” said, “The way this community comes together in the fight against cancer is second to none! To see people from all walks of life riding and walking amongst those who have fought and actively fight cancer is so rewarding.”

A great advocate of the team and their endeavors, Goodman added, “The Miami Dolphins did an absolutely fantastic job creating a top-notch event that was even better than in years past. The DCC continues to grow every year, and everyone should consider getting involved!”

In a sport where wins and losses on the field judge success, sometimes, the best victories come off the field. In the case of the Miami Dolphins and the DCC, 2024 was another major win.

Congratulations to the Dolphins, Sanchez, the DCC, as a whole, and all who participated.

A mock financial future for the Miami Dolphins

What Miami could do to set themselves up on a good financial path in the coming months.

The 2023 NFL season is officially in the books after Super Bowl 58 concluded Sunday night in an overtime walk-off win for the Kansas City Chiefs, their second title in a row and third in the last five seasons.

For the San Francisco 49ers, the other thirty NFL teams, as well as even the dynastic Chiefs, organizations will now have a few days to catch their collective breaths before officially turning to league business as early as next week. A week from Tuesday, February 20, the franchise and transition player tag window opens.

Before going into any mock preparation, the Miami Dolphins are currently in the red for their 2024 salary cap at roughly $51 million over. With a number of pending unrestricted free agents that will become officially open market players on March 13, the Dolphins and their salary cap guru Brandon Shore, mixed with general manager Chris Grier, of course, have plenty of work to do.

The Dolphins administration will have to clear cap space, and before doing that, two dominoes may have to fall before the other trimmings proceed, leading into re-signings and, ultimately, new signings.

Christian Wilkins and Tua Tagovailoa are major pieces, contractually, that could be the first points of business for Miami. An extension for Tagovailoa could create a bit of 2024 salary cap space, while as the overall number increases across the league, the Dolphins can be very strategic here.

In the model used on Over The Cap, the Tagovailoa mock contract was a tad south but mirrored that of Joe Burrow’s deal, which recent rumors have speculated is the target range the sides are looking at.

The Wilkins saga, while having a number of potential outcomes, a few staying in Miami either long-term or for one more year. Either way, if Wilkins is either tagged or re-signed, his cap number will be approximately in the $21-23 million range for 2024.

While it’s been rumored more money is wanted, with the league cap increasing all the way to $284 million in 2026 and $314 million in 2027, Miami could very well flood those years with money for both Wilkins and Tagovailoa.

Mixed with a number of other contracts long gone at that point, these two moves, if each long-term deal could set the table for cap restructures, with names like Bradley Chubb, which could save a cool $14 million for 2024.

The next move could be another veteran restructure in Tyreek Hill. That’s another $12 million dollars, and all of a sudden, the Dolphins have cut their negative cap figure in half, essentially, with two contract re-workings.

Kicking the financial can further down the road, which in this case, is still looking fiscally responsible in 2025 and beyond so far, a restructuring of Jalen Ramsey can create upwards of $18 million in 2024 space.

All of this is, obviously, contingent on the ability of an owner to cut the checks needed to front-load with bonus money. And, in Miami’s case, Stephen Ross has never, ever been shy of that.

Between these restructures, and for argument’s sake, a Wilkins long-term deal finally getting done, the cap would be, in a very unscientific approximation, of now negative $27 million in 2024 thus far and in the red $26 million in 2025.

Now, Miami would need to cut, potentially trade and simply move on from a few players, and let’s say it’s a veteran defensive back like Xavien Howard. There’s about $18 million that could be saved, as long as a cut or trade happens post-June 1. A move like this would create substantial “dead money,” at around $7 million, increasing the Dolphin’s overall dead cap to around $17 million.

With a new defensive coordinator in Anthony Weaver, it’s a mystery at the moment of his plans, but indicating his approach to coaching, welcoming in new staff and parting ways with several Dolphin defensive assistant coaches, the former NFL player could want input on potential ability to have influence and outsource and/or draft a certain skill set.

Players like Emmanuel Ogbah and Jerome Baker are two that come to mind. While the Dolphins are extremely thin of contracted/healthy edge rushers, the veteran Ogbah could simply save Miami too much money to keep in South Florida.

Cutting or trading Ogbah after June 1 would mean a cap savings of about $15 million and add a few million dollars to the dead cap ledger.

With this move, Miami now gets to about $6 million dollars on the good side of the line and just under $2 million in the red for 2025. A few more “cap casualties” of role players could generate another $10-12 million dollars in salary cap savings.

As for Baker, drafted a Dolphin, the team leader could work extremely well in the heavy-blitzing mindset that Weaver and his hires seem to have. A possible tweaking of his contract could create another $5-6 million of wiggle room.

Lastly, what to do with Terron Armstead? Should the often banged-up offensive lineman return, a potential restructure here could create another $8 million.

With sites such as Spotrac and Over the Cap, it’s clearly not an exact science, and all must be taken with a grain of sea salt. However, given a margin of error of a few million dollars, these several moves created about $30 million in wiggle space in 2024 to re-sign players like Andrew Van Ginkel and Robert Hunt and perhaps a few other role players.

It’s important to realize here that there would be a 2025 negative cap number of around $10 million in this model, yet 2026 would be at around $40 million in free space, and then with a very new majority of the roster, Miami would have $193 million in cap space, but would have a franchise quarterback locked up, a few defensive cornerstones and the flexibility to work with fifth-year options, and potential extension opportunities with 2021 first-round picks, Jaylen Waddle and Jaelan Phillips. That deadline for those option designations sneaks up on May 2.

After all this, players who are intriguing to speculate about their futures would be unrestricted free agents like Connor Williams, Brandon Jones, Raekwon Davis, Nik Needham, DeShon Elliott, Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft, to name several.

Further down the line, specifically offensive, players like Robert Jones, Kendall Lamm and Isaiah Wynn are all UFAs, and each is a valuable depth piece, and all proved to have starting potential from the 2023 season.

Realizing this is just a speculative, fun exercise, and it does indicate that it is plausible for the Dolphins to create continuity in their core group, which could open that “window” slightly more in Miami’s ultimate plan and attempt for postseason success.

Will the Dolphins play in Brazil in 2024?

Brazil will host an NFL game in 2024. Dot-connecting leads one to believe the Dolphins might be a strong candidate to play in the game.

The NFL confirmed Wednesday that a to-be-announced regular-season game will be played at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil in 2024. The designated “home” team for that game is expected to be announced in January.

The NFL’s Global Markets Program (formerly called International Home Market Areas) might provide clues as to who will “host” that game.

There are 14 countries in the program and most of them have multiple teams designated to them. Brazil has just one designated team: the Miami Dolphins.

Back when the program was announced in 2021 as IHMA, the NFL said: “The league will use its best efforts to ensure clubs play their international games in their international HMAs, where possible.”

So that doesn’t mean teams will exclusively play international games in their designated market, but when possible, they will. Given that the Brazil market was awarded to Miami, the Dolphins might be a strong candidate to “host” the South America game in 2024.

Miami just played an international game in Germany earlier this year, so that might make a trip to Brazil in 2024 less likely, but the league will begin playing up to eight international games per season in 2025. Once that happens, half the league will play an international game every year. So playing outside the U.S. frequently could become the norm soon.

Miami is also one of the league’s most willing teams to play internationally (only the Jacksonville Jaguars have played more games outside the USA). Last year, Peter King of NBC Sports wrote that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross “may push for a game in Brazil or Spain as early as 2024.”

Earlier this month, John Sutcliffe of ESPN Deportes reported that the Brazil game could be played in Week 1, and he also named the Dolphins as a potential candidate to feature in the game.

For now, Miami playing in Brazil next season is just a possibility. Based on the language of the league’s Global Markets Program, though, Dolphins fans should probably be following NFL’s upcoming international announcements. We’ll find out more in January.

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How to buy Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets NFL Week 15 tickets

Want to watch Dolphins in person this weekend? Tickets still remain for this Week 15 divisional matchup against the New York Jets.

The Miami Dolphins dropped a heartbreaker against the Tennessee Titans on Monday night.

Next up, the Dolphins look to rebound when they host the division-rival New York Jets on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. EST.

Want to watch the Dolphins in person this weekend? Check out Seat Geek to find the perfect Miami Dolphins tickets for you and anybody else you want sitting beside you as Miami tries to get back in the win column.

As of publication, the cheapest available Dolphins vs. Jets tickets were priced at $156.

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How to buy Miami Dolphins vs. Tennessee Titans NFL Week 14 tickets

Want to watch Dolphins vs. Titans in person? Tickets still remain for this primetime Week 14 AFC matchup.

The Miami Dolphins are coming off a big win against the Washington Commanders, however with Baltimore’s win against the Rams, the Dolphins need a Week-14 win to retain the top spot in the AFC.

Next up, the Dolphins host the Tennessee Titans on Monday, Dec. 11 at 8:15 p.m. EST.

Want to watch the Dolphins in person on Monday night? Check out Vivid Seats to find the perfect Miami Dolphins tickets for you and anybody else you want sitting beside you as Miami looks to extend its division lead.

As of publication, the cheapest available Dolphins vs. Titans tickets were priced at $108.

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Dolphins rookie De’Von Achane has huge game in return from injury

Dolphins rookie De’Von Achane has huge game in return from injury

Back in early October the NFL lost one of it’s most exciting young rookies in De’Von Achane to a knee injury. Last Sunday Achane made his return against the Washington Commanders, and he did it in one of the best ways possible.

The game between the Commanders and the Miami Dolphins was truly never really that close as the Tua Tagovailoa lead team eventually ran away with the game with a blowout final score of 45-15. While Achane was not heavily involved early, he got more and more touches as the game got out of hand and eventually came away as the Dolphins’ leading rusher.

Achane looked as explosive as ever with 103 yards on 20 total touches, including a pair of touchdowns on the ground. The Commanders clearly had no answer for the overwhelming amount of speed on Miami’s roster, including their exciting rookie running back. It’s fair to expect Achane to continue having a completely bonkers season given he is averaging an absurd 9.5 yards per carry on the year. Miami looks like it hit yet another home run in this addition to the most exciting offense in the NFL.

Dolphins’ Week 11 report card: Grading every position in win vs. Raiders

The Miami Dolphins beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday 20-13. The Dolphins defense shut out the Raiders in the second half. We took time to grade every position group from the Dolphins’ win, from quarterback to special teams.

The Miami Dolphins beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday 20-13, as the Dolphins defense shut out the Raiders in the second half.

While Vic Fangio’s unit continued to shine after their game against the Kansas City Chiefs before the bye week, the offense struggled and only managed six points in the second half against the Raiders.

Miami is now 7-3 and is headed to MetLife to play the New York Jets next.

But, before the quick turnaround, we took time to grade every position group from the Dolphins’ win, from quarterback to special teams.

Dolphins’ Week 7 report card: Grading every position in loss vs. Eagles

Grades for each position after Miami’s loss against Eagles

The Miami Dolphins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday 31-17.

The banged-up Dolphins were unable to generate enough offense to win the game, as Miami self-admittedly played a sloppy football game, and that’s rarely going to get a win against a Super Bowl contender like the Eagles.

On Monday, we took time to grade every position group from the Dolphins’ loss, from quarterback to special teams.

De’Von Achane set up to take over once again

Dolphins rookie RB De’Von Achane set up to take over once again

We already saw a breakout performance from Miami Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane in a big way against a hapless Denver Broncos defense last week to the tune of 230 yards and a ridiculous four touchdowns. This week against the division rival Buffalo Bills, Achane could be set up for success once again.

While the Buffalo Bills defense is as stout as they come, with one of the best defensive minds in the league as their head coach, they are not unbeatable. If any mind in the NFL can match Sean McDermott, it is Miami’s head coach and offensive whiz Mike McDaniel. It would be surprising if after Achane’s breakout game, he doesn’t touch the ball a handful of times…in a handful of different ways. With blazing speed, agility, and lateral movement skills, Achane is going to be incredibly difficult for any defense to stop.

While Buffalo has plenty of talent on defense, it is going to be hard for them to account for all the weapons on this Dolphins offense. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, and De’Von Achane boast the speediest offense in the NFL, and it is hard to imagine any single Buffalo player manning up with any of them. Achane should see plenty of success in his touches again this week and may become a permanent fixture on the Miami highlight reel this season.

De’Von Achane goes off in incredible performance against the Broncos

The speed of De’Von Achane fits in perfectly with the Dolphins offense.

The Miami Dolphins have been far and away the best offense for the 2023 regular season, and against the Denver Broncos they showed that off to the extreme. Miami ended up scoring a historic 70 points against a seemingly hapless Denver team, who could do nothing against the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and new breakout star running back De’Von Achane.

Achane blew up the combine during the 2023 NFL Draft process galloping to an impressive 4.32 40-yard dash time on top of showing off his Olympic-level athletic skills. The Dolphins snagged Achane with the 84th overall pick as he projected extremely well in this Mike McDaniel zone run offense which could take advantage of his elite-level speed and acceleration.

All of Achane’s skillsets were shown off today in his breakout performance at home, where he was schemed up every which way by Mike McDaniel to make big play after big play. Achane looked completely unstoppable on his way to a 233-yard and four-touchdown performance, blowing away any recent rookie performance by a running back. Denver looked helpless whenever Achane hit the hole, accelerating past their defenders with ease, and exploding through contact.

Achane looked the part of a star back in this system, and will undoubtedly see many more carried in the future. This Miami offense looks unstoppable, and with the recent revelation of Achane, they solidify themselves as the fastest offense in the entire league.

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