Is Armstead Suggesting Something About His Future?
One of the big questions around the Miami Dolphins this offseason will be what happens with tackle Terron Armstead.
There are several possibilities as to the outcome: Armstead returns for a fourth season with the Dolphins on his current contract, he returns on a restructured deal to lower his cap number for 2025, the Dolphins release him, or he retires.
Enjoying the Super Bowl atmosphere in his longtime NFL home of New Orleans, Armstead sure sounds like somebody who’s looking forward to helping the Dolphins get back to the Dolphins after the disappointment of the 2024 season.
“In order for us to move forward in the right direction,” Armstead told David Bearman of Pro Football Network on Radio Row, “there’s gonna have to be some more retooling and refocusing and really locking in on the small things.”
Notice the use of the phrase “for us to move forward.”
Armstead said last June after agreeing to a pay cut to return to the Dolphins that he had contemplated retirement the past few offseasons, the reason being his constant battle with injuries, which have prevented him from playing a full season even once since he entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Saints in 2013.
Armstead wound up playing 15 games in 2024, missing one with a concussion early and one with a knee injury later in the season. He barely practiced down the stretch, though, because of that knee injury, which also caused him to pull himself out of a couple of games.
A month later, Armstead says he feels good.
“Feel great, man,” he told PFN. “I’m just enjoying it right now, enjoying the time with my kids, and all those great things.I’ll be talking to the Dolphins front office pretty soon to figure out the direction and path that we’re looking to go, but feel great.”
THE ARMSTEAD DILEMMA FOR THE DOLPHINS
Injuries and all, Armstead remains the best offensive lineman on the roster, even though he failed to make the Pro Bowl in 2024 for the first time in his three seasons in Miami.
His cap number for 2025 currently stands at $22 million, which is a pretty large number for a player of his age and injury history. And then there’s the fact the Dolphins selected Patrick Paul in the second round of the 2024 draft, specifically with the idea he’d replace Armstead in the starting lineup at some point.
Paul started three games as a rookie, including one at right tackle, and while he did show promise, it’s safe to suggest the Dolphins would be a better team in 2025 with Armstead as their starting left tackle.
The question for the Dolphins will come down to how much they’re willing to dedicate to that position if it’s going to be Armstead.
Armstead has a $13.3 million base salary for 2025, but none of it is guaranteed. If the Dolphins were to make Armstead a post-June 1 release, his cap number would go from $22.8 million to $7.8 million, a savings of $15 million (though it couldn’t be used until that June 1 date).
So maybe it’s more likely the Dolphins will restructure Armstead’s contract as opposed to flat-out releasing him because it won’t help them much to get compliant with the salary cap by March 12 (they’re currently about $12 million over the cap).
For his part, Armstead is talking about what the team needs to do next season to bounce back from the 8-9 finish.
“It was a frustrating year,” Armstead said. “Disappointment, honestly, if I can just sum it up. We lose our quarterback early, and it was just really hard to find points. And we tried to right the ship, and I’m super grateful for the team for that part, you know what I mean? We really stretched and clawed to get back and give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, we fell short, dealing with some more injuries. So it was a disappointment overall.”
