The Jaelan Phillips Comeback and Contract Dilemma

Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips is making steady progress in his recovery from his latest significant injury
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) takes the field prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 4 last season.
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) takes the field prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 4 last season. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
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As videos surface of Jaelan Phillips moving well, there should be little doubt the Miami Dolphins linebacker will be ready for the start of the 2025 season after a second consecutive major injury.

But a torn Achilles tendon in 2023 followed by a torn ACL four games into the next season after he worked hard enough to come back to earn the Dolphins' Ed Block Courage Award nomination does leave, fair or not, questions about his long-term durability.

And that absolutely is significant when it comes to Phillips because of his draft status and contract situation.

HOW THE DOLPHINS SHOULD OR WILL MANAGE PHILLIPS' CONTRACT

The second of two Dolphins first-round picks in the 2021 draft, Phillips will be playing on his fifth-year option next season after Miami exercised the option for both him and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle last year.

The Dolphins then signed Waddle to a three-year contract extension last offseason, which fully guaranteed $36 million at signing and guaranteed $76 million against injury, while lowering his cap number for 2025 to $8 million after it was going to be $15.6 million on the fifth-year option.

Phillips' cap number for 2025 currently stands at $13.3 million on the fifth-year option, but coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries has turned him from a no-brainer, slam-dunk extension candidate into somewhat of a question mark.

When he's been healthy, Phillips has been a very good player for the Dolphins and he's also an absolute star in the community, as his selection as the 2023 Man of the Year Dolphins nominee would suggest.

But nobody would blame the Dolphins for being hesitant to give him a contract extension before there's some level of comfort and confidence that he regain his old form following the torn ACL. Phillips got off to a slow start last season in his return from the torn Achilles tendon, but that wasn't unexpected given the nature of the injury.

Knowing what we know about Phillips' work ethic, he'll give himself every single opportunity to the best version of himself, but the reality is there are no guarantees that will materialize.

It's what makes Phillips' contract situation one of the trickier ones for the Dolphins heading into the start of the 2025 league year.

Do the Dolphins keep him on the fifth-year option and start thinking about an extension only after he shows he's back to the old Jaelan Phillips? Or do they sign him to an extension, probably sooner rather than later, to keep him around for a few more years and lower his 2025 cap number?

Stay tuned.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.