Why AVG Remains the One Who Got Away for the Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins will face Andrew Van Ginkel for the first time Sunday

Miami Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) collides with New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) during the second half of an NFL game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, October 8, 2023. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Former Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland is off to a great start in his second season with the New York Giants and he was recognized Thursday as the NFC Defensive Player of the Month.

He's not, however, somebody the Dolphins should regret not having retained as a free agent two offseasons ago.

Andrew Van Ginkel, who the Dolphins will face for the first time since he left when they take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, is an entirely different story.

On that one, the Dolphins missed the boat.

And the hope the organization learned a lesson from a mistake that they won't repeat.

THE PURE DRAFT-AND-DEVELOP PLAYER

While Holland leaving doesn't necessarily look great right now, what with his NFL-best three interceptions plus his game-clinching pick last Sunday, the Dolphins simply weren't in a place to give him the kind of contract he wanted during the 2023 season or the 2024 offseason and losing some free agents is just part of NFL life for every franchise.

But there are certain free agents that teams should make a concerted effort to keep, and Van Ginkel was the embodiment of that kind of player.

The Dolphins already had re-signed him as a free agent in 2023 but only to a one-year contract, and all Van Ginkel did in that season was continue to develop and progress.

But the Dolphins then let Van Ginkel leave as a free agent in the 2024 offseason without so much as making a contract offer, and the best guess is that incoming defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver simply didn't see him as a great fit for his scheme.

Van Ginkel then signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Vikings that included $13 million before agreeing to a contract extension for 2026 — meaning he'll be an unrestricted free agent next offseason barring another extension.

Van Ginkel's wife was vocal on social media after the fact about how the hope had been to stay in Miami, and the money he got from the Vikings is far from egregious.

And this is a player who started 42 games for Miami, could be counted on for about 5-6 sacks a year and scored two touchdowns in that final season with the Dolphins.

He was a success story as a fifth-round pick, exactly the kind of player we can imagine new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan had in mind when he talked about espousing a draft-and-develop philosophy.

The Dolphins got Van Ginkel in the fifth round of the 2019 draft as one of their only six picks that year, and for all the criticism former GM Chris Grier got for his work in Miami, he sure deserves kudos for that one.

But the Dolphins messed that one up on the back end.

It was one thing to debate whether the Dolphins should have done whatever it took to keep former draft picks like Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt and/or Holland instead of having them leave as free agents instead of spending big money on outsiders like Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey, but the conversation should have been much simpler with Van Ginkel.

The price tag was nowhere near as severe, he represented a draft success story, and rewarding an original player with a new contract plays well in the locker room.

That was what the Dolphins in signing De'Von Achane to a contract extension this offseason and to a lesser extent (because they were free agent pick-ups) with Aaron Brewer and Jordyn Brooks.

Achane was the perfect example of draft and develop.

Van Ginkel was as well; he just should have been kept longer.