Breaking Down Brewer's Contract and Its Salary Cap Impact

The Miami Dolphins center recently signed a three-year contract extension

Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer (55) speaking to the media after a minicamp practice at the Baptist Health Training Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The details on Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer's recent contract extension have been revealed, and they again include some fancy work by the team.

The reported numbers on the three-year extension that kicks in in 2027 included a $52.5 million total with $31.8 million guaranteed, but the details always matter more.

And, per numbers revealed by Over The Cap, this looks like a two-year commitment by the Dolphins with the option of extending it all the way to the end of the contract in the 2029 season.

THE CONTRACT DETAILS AND CAP RAMIFICATIONS

Maybe the biggest number that will interest fans will be Brewer's cap number, which as expected only jumped up a little bit in 2026.

As part of his extension, Brewer got a $6 million signing bonus to be prorated over the next five years, including a void year on his contract year in 2030.

Doing some quick math, that equals $1.2 million a year, but the Dolphins converted some other bonus money in 2026 into that signing bonus, so the cap number for this year will go up by less than $700,000.

That will leave the Dolphins with about $11.5 million of cap space with which to operate in 2026.

Brewer's cap number will jump to $18.6 million in 2027 and there will be $14.1 million of guaranteed salary.

Barring a major surprise that would cause Brewer to not be on the roster on the third day of the 2027 league year, $6 million of his 2028 salary will become guaranteed then.

If the Dolphins ever were so inclined, the first opportunity to move on from Brewer rather painlessly (in terms of the cap) would be 2028, particularly if they made him a post-June 1 cut.

The hope, of course, is that Brewer maintains his level of performance, which reached a new high in 2025 when he earned second-team All-Pro recognition. In national write Pete Prisco's annual list of top 100 players for 2026, Brewer was the Dolphins player highest on his list as he came in 31st.

Brewer will make $1.2 million in base salary in 2026.

Brewer now ranks fifth among NFL centers in contract guarantees with his $31.8 million, trailing only Las Vegas Raiders free agent pick-up Tyler Linderbaum, Kansas City Chiefs first-team All-Pro Creed Humphrey, Philadelphia Eagles starter Cam Jurgens and Erik McCoy of the New Orleans Saints.

A former undrafted free agent, Brewer is heading into his third season with the Dolphins after arriving as an unrestricted free agent from the Tennessee Titans in 2024.