Updating the Idea of a Brooks Deal with Dallas in Terms of Timing

The Miami Dolphins haven't made a trade since sending Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, but the feeling remains that they're open for business.

And one player to watch remains linebacker Jordyn Brooks fresh off an All-Pro season and the team said to be potentially interested in acquiring him remains the Dallas Cowboys.

So it was worth checking out Cowboys executive Stephen Jones' comments from the owners meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, regarding the team's quest for a linebacker.

Per ESPN's Todd Archer, Jones said the Cowboys didn't necessarily need to have a veteran to anchor their linebacker group, that the right draft pick surrounded by veterans would be an option.

But another Jones comment was more pertinent as it relates to Brooks, and it's the idea that the Cowboys don't feel the need to make a trade for a linebacker before the draft.

Stephen Jones on whether the Cowboys need to add a veteran LB before the draft: "I don’t think it has to be before the draft. I don’t think there’s any timing on it. I go back to player acquisition is 365 days a year ... There’s always opportunities for trades."
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 30, 2026

This is significant when it comes to the Dolphins because Brooks' contract, which runs out after the 2026 season, makes it a lot more beneficial for Miami to trade him after June 1 than before that date.

Brooks currently has a $10.9 million cap hit for 2026 and if the Dolphins were to trade him before June 1 that number would go down to $8.3 million. If a trade occurred after June 1, Brooks' cap number would get down to $2.5 million, all figures from Over The Cap.

That's a $5.8 million difference for the Dolphins, and it's clearly not insignificant.

Now, if the Dolphins wait until after June 1 — and there's no such thing as a trade consummated before but designated as a post-June 1 trade, as there is for player releases — that would mean that 2026 draft picks wouldn't be part of a trade.

But the Dolphins certainly wouldn't mind gaining extra draft capital in 2027 along with the extra picks they have this year, so it might not be a big impediment to a trade given that they likely won't be contenders next season.

All those scenarios, of course, hinge on Dallas and the Dolphins actually engaging in talks and then agreeing on a trade, an idea that first surfaced in a report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Nick Harris.

They’ve pivoted off Queen. Al-Shaair & Brooks are being discussed though
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) March 20, 2026

WHY MIAMI WOULD MOVE BROOKS

Brooks led the NFL in tackle last season and earned first-team All-Pro recognition in his second season with Miami.

He also was a team captain and would seem to embody the kind of player new head coach Jeff Hafley would want on his roster.

But business is business, and Brooks just might be more valuable as a trade asset than leading a defense on a team that really doesn't figure to contend in 2026 as he heads into the final year of the three-year deal he signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

So maybe it's going to come down to the Dolphins not wanting to worry about negotiations with Brooks (through his agent) as he heads into his contract year, particularly if they can get a choice draft pick in return — whether in 2026 or 2027.