Grant Restructures His Contract
Returner extraordinaire Jakeem Grant ended up keeping his place on the Miami Dolphins' 53-man roster Tuesday, something that seemed less that a certainty after the team made a series of moves at the position in the offseason.
But it happened after Grant agreed to restructured his contract, as first reported by Pro Football Network reporter Adam Beasley and confirmed by a league source.
Grant had three years left on his contract after signing an extension in 2019, but the final two years were removed with the restructure. That means that Grant will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
The new deal is worth up to $3 million for 2021.
Grant was among seven wide receivers the Dolphins kept Tuesday, though newcomer Will Fuller V does not count on the 53-man roster because he was placed on the NFL's suspended list to finish serving out the six-game suspension he was handed last year after missing the final five games.
Fuller will be eligible to come off the suspended list after Week 1 and it's uncertain whether the Dolphins will keep seven wide receivers on their active roster.
It was a combination of factors that made Grant appear like a potential roster casualty this year, namely the arrival of rookie first-round pick Jaylen Waddle and his great return skills and the fact that Grant had no guaranteed money left on his deal and the Dolphins could have saved in excess of $4 million in cap space in 2021 by cutting him, according to overthecap.com.
Second only to fellow wide receiver DeVante Parker in tenure, Grant has become the most prolific in Dolphins history since arriving as a sixth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
Grant has five kick returns for touchdowns in five seasons, including a punt return for a score in the 28-17 victory against the Los Angeles Rams last season in Tua Tagovailoa's first NFL start. The play helped Grant earn AP All-Pro second-team honors as a punt returner in 2020.
