Omar Kelly: The 10 most expensive players on the Dolphins' 2025 roster

MIAMI — Like most NFL teams, the Miami Dolphins roster is filled with a few haves, and dozens of have nots.

Only 24 players on the Dolphins’ 90-player training camp roster earn more than $2 million a season. But the most troubling part of a payroll examination of the team General Manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel have built is that the team’s extremely top heavy when it comes to its payroll.

The Dolphins are paying four players — Tua Tagovailoa, receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick — $125 million this season, which accounts for 54% of the team’s active cap spending for the season.

That’s more evidence that Miami’s payroll has been managed irresponsibly over the years, which is probably a contributing factor to the fiscally responsible approach the franchise took this offseason.

Here’s a look at the Dolphins’ 10 highest paid players in 2025, and we previously provided the 10 biggest bargains on the roster:

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — $51,046,000

Tagovailoa is beginning the second-year of the five-year, $235 million deal he signed with Miami last offseason, and this one seemingly has the highest price tag because of his $26 million in base salary and bonuses, and the $25 million in option bonuses that got triggered this offseason. The 2026 season hold the final year of guaranteed money ($54 million) Tagovailoa is owed, so his future with Miami, and in the NFL will likely depend on how he performs over the next two seasons, and how many games he’s available for. But at the moment, Tagovailoa’s clearly one of the NFL’s 10 highest paid earners in 2025.

Receiver Jaylen Waddle — $31,566,000

The Dolphins signed Waddle to a five-year, $109 million deal back in 2024 despite having him locked up for two more seasons because they felt it was important to get ahead of the receiver market, which was escalating. As a result, Waddle, who received a $30.3 million option bonus this summer, will be one of the NFL’s 10 highest paid receivers in 2025. However, his annual salary is $19.3 million over the course of the next three seasons, which is manageable if he’s a 1,000 yard receiver. Problem is, he wasn’t that last season.

Receiver Tyreek Hill — $27,750,000

Hill views 2025 as a redemption tour, a season where he has to prove to the world that he’s still an elite NFL weapon, even at 31. There will be financial consequences if he doesn’t have a dominant season because the Dolphins will likely back out of paying him the $36 million he’s under contract for in 2026, and March 18 will be the landmark date because that’s when a non-guaranteed $5 million roster bonus is due. That means this is likely Hill’s last season in Miami, and last season as one of the NFL’s highest paid offensive players unless he’s dominant.

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick — $15,500,000

The Dolphins acquired Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick this summer in a trade that sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey, tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Pittsburgh, adding the five-time Pro Bowl safety to Miami inexperienced secondary. Fitzpatrick is returning to the team that drafted him 11th overall in the 2018 draft, the same franchise he left after demanding a trade in 2019. Whether he’s returning without a new contract will likely be determined before the season starts because Fitzpatrick’s out of guaranteed money on his existing deal. He’s slated to make $17.6 million in 2026, and $33.1 million over the next two seasons. But players of his talent level rarely ever play without guaranteed money, and it’s likely that the Dolphins will adjust his deal before the regular season starts to keep him happy, and bought in.

Defensive lineman Kenneth Grant — $13,448,228

By selecting Grant with the 13th overall pick in the 2025 draft the Dolphins guaranteed the defensive tackle just over $22 million over the next four seasons, and the bulk of that came from his $12.6 million signing bonus that he received this summer. Miami also has a fifth-year option they can trigger in three years, but that price and whether the former Michigan standout is worth it will be determined by his performance and contribution level the next couple seasons.

Pass rusher Jaelan Phillips — $13,251,000

Phillips, a former Hurricanes standout the Dolphins selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, has everything he needs to become a double-digit sack producer except luck when it comes to injuries. He’s had two promising seasons stolen from him because of back to back injuries (an Achilles tendon tear in 2023 and an ACL tear in 2024). How Phillips, who is playing on his fifth-year option, plays this season will determine whether or not he becomes a free agent next offseason, and how much his next employer will offer him. If he plays 14 or more games and delivers double-digit sack production he could be sitting on a $100 million contract.

Inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks — $8,375,000

Miami signed Brooks to a three-year deal worth $26.25 million before the 2024 season hoping that he’d help the defense improve from a coverage standpoint, and Brooks delivered in his first season. The hope is that he’ll take his game to another level this season, outperforming the 143 tackles, three sacks and two fumbles recovered last season. Brooks’ base salary of $7.8 million isn’t guaranteed next season, so we should view this as a contract year for the 27-year-old inside linebacker.

Offensive guard James Daniels — $8,255,000

Desperate to upgrade the guard position in free agency this offseason the Dolphins gave Daniels a three-year deal worth $24 million (only $10.7 million of it is guaranteed) even though he missed most of the 2024 season because of an Achilles tendon injury he’s still rehabbing. The hope is that the 27-year-old will return to the form he had as an 84 game starter for Chicago and Pittsburgh the previous seven seasons. Whether Daniels plays left or right guard for Miami depends on how well Patrick Paul and Jonah Savaiinaea settle in on the left side. The Dolphins hope Daniels can serve as a right side guard because of how forceful he is as a run blocker.

Defensive lineman Zach Sieler — $7,855,000

Sieler, who delivered back-to-back double-digit sack seasons for Miami the past two years, has been a pillar of granite for the Dolphins defense since joining the franchise and becoming a starter in 2019. The 29-year-old and his campus lobbying for his deal to be reworked considering the $16 million he’s expected to be paid over the next two seasons represents half of what his value would be on the going market. How the Dolphins handle Sieler’s situation is something the entire team is watching closely because the seven-year veteran has done everything the organization has ever asked of him. Does Steve Ross’ franchise take care of their homegrown talent or not?

Center Aaron Brewer — $7,000,000

Brewer, whom Miami signed to a three-year, $21 million deal a year ago, has a solid debut season with the Dolphins last year, but is expected to take his game and leadership to another level this season because he’s more familiar with the scheme, the system, and the players around him. The hope is that better guard play will enable Brewer to start having more impact on second level blocks. However, he’s stepped up and become a more vocal leader this offseason and that’s needed from your starting center.

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