The Miami Dolphins are officially out of the playoff race with the loss to the New York Giants and now they must begin to eye the future of the team as several changes could be coming to the team in the offseason. With a new head coach needed, the Dolphins will look at the future for Ryan Tannehill along with two of his biggest playmakers in Rishard Matthews and Lamar Miller.
The Dolphins have several contract decisions to make for two of their biggest stars. Miller and Matthews both had breakout seasons in 2015 and will be looking to get paid as such. The issue for both players is the fact that they have younger players behind them quickly improving. For Miller, he has proven he can be the workhorse for the Dolphins, but Jay Ajayi is improving behind him. According to ESPN's James Walker, Miller's future will be determined by his contract demands. Running backs cannot shoot high in terms of money. It was reported that Miller and the Dolphins were discussing contracts before the season began, but since then no talks have been reported. Miller stressed that right now he is more concerned with playing better with the opportunities he gets.
"Earlier in the year, I was worried about how many opportunities I was going to get," Miller said, via Walter Villa of the Miami Herald. "I wasn't getting the ball that much. So every time I got it I was trying to make a big play, and I wasn't reading my keys. Now, I'm trusting my offensive line more. They've been getting a lot of movement. I'm being patient and decisive."
Matthews has been another surprise to the season. The wide receiver started the season off demanding a trade, but now he is one of the leading playmakers for the team. However, he has missed the past few games due to injury and in his place DeVante Parker is looking like the star Miami wanted. The rookie has made Matthews expendable to the Dolphins considering the receiver is expected to command a nice contract extension. The Dolphins simply cannot afford to pay everyone. The Miami Herald reports Matthews could get a contract worth upwards of $4 million to $6 million per season. That might be out of the Dolphins' range.
"We don't talk about that yet, but soon we will. ... I'm not nervous at all," he said. "I feel like I put myself in a good position. If it doesn't work out here, it'll work out somewhere else," Matthews said, via the Miami Herald.
The Dolphins are committed to Tannehill for at least two more seasons given his contract. They need to retool the offensive line while helping the defense get more talent. That could push Miller and Matthews out if they opt to demand more than Miami can afford to give.
