Dolphins Using FA Recruiting Advantages
The Miami Dolphins have been busy restocking their roster in the early days of free agency, and it doesn't hurt that a lot of veterans want to play for the team.
There are some who actually will take less money to sign with the Dolphins instead of another team, based on the comments from agent Drew Rosenhaus on Thursday morning.
Appearing on The Joe Rose Show on WQAM, Rosenhaus said four of his clients bypassed better offers to sign — or, in Braxton Berrios' case, re-sign — with the Dolphins.
The three veteran newcomers who fell into that category were tight end Jonnu Smith, safety Jordan Poyer and outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett.
THE DOLPHINS' ADVANTAGES IN FREE AGENCY
It's not new that the Dolphins are a desirable destination for free agents, but the advantage the team enjoys might be more pronounced these days.
The South Florida weather, the fact that so many NFL players either live or spend a lot of time in the area and the lack of state income tax always have been key factors in the Dolphins' favor.
As a point of reference, the Dolphins are one of eight NFL teams where players don't have to worry about state income tax, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.
But most recently the Dolphins also have scored big in the area of working conditions, as evidenced by their finishing first in the annual NFLPA player survey this year after finishing second (to the Minnesota Vikings) last year.
Remember that the Dolphins' report card from that survey featured straight A's in 11 categories: treatment of families, food/cafeteria, nutritionist/dietician, locker room, training room, training staff, weight room, strength coaches, team travel, head coach, and ownership.
Mike McDaniel earned an A as the eighth-ranked head coach in the survey and he has a fully developed reputation as a coach who relates very well to his players, which also is something a lot of players seek.
And then, yes, we absolutely shouldn't leave out the fact that the Dolphins have been contenders in recent years. While they're still seeking that elusive first playoff win since 2000, they are coming off four consecutive winning seasons and back-to-back playoff appearances.
Put it all together and it's easy to see why the Dolphins can attract free agents and, as Rosenhaus indicated, sometimes can get them for less money.
