Sieler On the Spot to Make His Wish Come True

Zach Sieler has been a member of the Miami Dolphins longer than anybody else on the roster, and it's his hope it will stay that way for as long as he's playing.

But for that to happen he'll have to overcome the realities of the NFL.

One of the few thirtysomethings on the team, Sieler is headed into his seventh full season with Miami after being claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens in December of 2019. The only player who comes close to Sieler in terms of tenure is tackle Austin Jackson, one of the team's three first-round picks in 2020.

But Sieler will turn 31 six days before the Dolphins' 2026 season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders and more significant — and perhaps his biggest challenge to staying in Miami — is his contract.

In short, he basically needs to have a big season for the Dolphins to not want to think about the idea of moving on from him.

SIELER'S STATUS

Sieler is signed through the 2029 season (with a void year after that), but he has no more guaranteed salary after the next season.

His 2026 cap number of $11.6 million (per Over The Cap) officially will be the highest on the team once Bradley Chubb's contract officially goes off the books next week.

And the reality is the way the Dolphins were jettisoning high-priced veterans this offseason — think Tua, Tyreek, Waddle, Chubb, Minkah — Sieler might have been part of that group if not for his contract and the guarantee left on it for 2026.

Releasing Sieler this offseason would have created a $35 million dead cap hit, and that number would have been $23 million had the Dolphins done it with a post-June 1 designation instead of using their two such moves on Tua Tagovailoa and Bradley Chubb.

What made Sieler easier than Tua or Chubb to keep in a full rebuild came down to performance and also because of Sieler's status as a leader on a young defensive line that features the three 2025 draft picks — Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers.

Sieler's cap number jumps to $20.8 million next year, and this is where the Dolphins will have to think long and hard about his place on the roster and how much money/cap space to devote to him.

It doesn't have to be as clear-cut as keeping or releasing Sieler because there's always the option of simply restructuring his contract, but the decision could be made a lot easier if Sieler can go back to the kind of production he had in 2023 and 2024 before his number slipped last season.

SIELER NEEDS MORE HELP ON D-LINE

Sieler became the rare defensive tackle with back-to-back 10-sack seasons, but he didn't have the luxury last year of having a Christian Wilkins or Calais Campbell next to him in 2025. This is where a big jump from any of the three 2025 draft picks could make a big difference for Sieler.

Regardless of production, Sieler will be valuable to the Dolphins because of his experience and leadership — he was a team captain last year and figures to be one again in 2026 — but there's only so much the Dolphins would pay for that.

Sieler, again, can make the decision very easy for Miami.

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