Evan Mathis

[DanTheMan]

Alex Donno on WQAM says he has spoken with Drew Rosenhaus and that Mathis wants to be here. The sticking point appears to be length of contract and money. Fins are fine this year, but 2016 is going to be an issue with a large portion of Suh's deal hitting. Mathis wants somewhere around the $5M he was making with the Eagles for multiple years, Fins are looking at a one year deal so they can do some cap magic. In the end Donno believes it gets done. We shall see.

[Finatic]

Bring him!!!! Signing him would change everything. We would go from hoping to make the playoffs to possibly pushing DEEP into the playoffs.

Here is a good read on it

[Loserbugman]

I'd love to have him, I'm just worried about going all in on winning this year. With the rest of the division facing so much uncertainty, it's our best opportunity since 2008, but as of next season, over 40% of our money towards the cap will be tied up in just four players. Lamar Miller, Derrick Shelby, Olivier Vernon, and Louis Delmas are all UFA after this season. Of those, Delmas would be the only one I'm really comfortable letting walk, but he brings a nastiness on the back-end that we don't currently have any way to replace. So while it'd be wonderful to have Mathis in a vacuum, there's big cap crunch coming next year, so you have to think about it in terms of "Who am I not able to sign if I sign him?"

[Finatic]

Those are great points. If we do not go Mathis, then you get the most out of what you have this year and hope to draft a guard next year that you can get in on the rookie pay scale.

[FinFan in KC]

Seems like we could structure a contract in a way to be cap friendly for next year. If he wants to be there, I think they'll figure out a way to make it work.

[Loserbugman]

Yeah, maybe something with a longer term that he wants, but based more on incentives. Make sure that if you're paying him that, it's justified. I have to believe that, if there was a market for him, he'd have signed SOMEWHERE by now. I get he wanted to hold out for a longer/larger deal, but does he turn down reasonable offers at the cost of missing camp and the preseason, and jeopardizing a playing spot? I don't see any way he gets the $6+ million that he supposedly wants. Seems to me that we have the leverage, and it doesn't really make sense giving him a huge deal in a year with so many new parts on the team.

[Phintim Menace]

I have been watching daily to see if we get Mathis. It certainly would fill one of our few remaining needs. I think we will wait on the Chicago game film before pulling the trigger. This is no time to retreat, we have made great strides this off season.

[Loserbugman]

That seems reasonable. It probably wouldn't be fair to grade our offensive line based on how they handle Wake, Suh and company on a daily basis. I'm not sure there are any offensive linemen in the league that would make the cut if containing them was the standard.

[NY8123]

Rolling over that 10ish mil we currently have to next year would help tremendously with what is going to be a interesting year with respect to the cap situation. Miami is fine I think but there is no way they can pull off what they did this year next year. Next year they need to be frugal.

Mathis would be a nice addition and certainly shore up the guard situation I just don't know unless he is willing to be a team player and take less if he gets signed. I just don't see the wiggle room in the cap given what Miami is looking at next year in terms of players they need to sign verse the cap.

[Finatic]

Mayne the answer is paying him heavy this year for a one year deal. Then do a long term deal that is back loaded that that can buy them time. Then they can cut bad players, rework deals etc. To make it all work.

[FinFan in KC]

The longer he goes unsigned the more leverage the Dolphins have. Unless...one of our linemen go down. Then the leverage shifts back to Mathis. I feel like if he wants to be there, they'll figure out a way to make it happen.

[Finatic]

I heard today unconfirmed we signed a G Bryant Brown that played a little on Pittsburgh's practice squad. If so this could be just for depth, or it may mean Mathis is no longer an option.