If the Miami Dolphins are planning on making a splash next week in free agency — and all indications seem to be they do — the team got some much-needed clarity on who their top priorities will be. At 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, the window to designate free agents as “franchise players” under the franchise tag passed – a deadline that spurred plenty of action across the league as teams moved to retain their best players with expiring contracts. Some, such as the Broncos’ designation of safety Justin Simmons, were expected. Others, like the Jaguars’ decision to place OT Cam Robinson under the franchise tag, will have no impact on the Dolphins at all.
But one free agent to be who has been rumored to be a potential target by Miami made it through the franchise tag deadline unscathed — as the Green Bay Packers elected not to place running back Aaron Jones under the control of the tag. Although, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team will continue to work over the next week to try to secure a longer contract extension with Jones to keep him in Green Bay.
Packers did not place their franchise tag on RB Aaron Jones, per source. Jones is headed to free agency, though Green Bay is attempting to re-sign him before he gets there.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2021
The Dolphins, who saw a number of would-be targets pulled off the market, will reportedly take a very close look at Jones if he’s still available entering the “legal tampering” window of free agency next Monday — and Jones is reported to have mutual interest in taking his talents to South Florida.
If the Dolphins were to sign Jones, it would provide the team with some added flexibility in the early portions of the 2021 NFL Draft. And that could provide Miami with a more impactful player early in the draft, while also allowing them to bring in a player at a more high-valued position and keep him under a rookie contract for several seasons.
So there are talent and economic motivations for Miami to pursue Jones — and the fit makes plenty of sense provided the Dolphins don’t fall in line with some of the suggested numbers that a new contract would cost Jones (in excess of $10M per season). The price will need to be right for Miami. But we now know that the franchise tag price of approximately $11M was too high for Green Bay — which bodes well for the Dolphins’ potential to land Jones for a more reasonable rate next week.