Miami Dolphins Contract Talks Are Last-Ditch Attempt to Save Failed Offseason

After an offseason that has seen the Miami Dolphins fail miserably and repeatedly in their attempts to procure a franchise quarterback, while accomplishing very little else in free agency—failures that have led some to question the competence of general manager Jeff Ireland and the Miami front office—the Dolphins have entered into negotiations with three key players in an effort to stem the bleeding, according to a report by Omar Kelly of the Orlando Sun-Sentinel:

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According to team and league sources, General Manager Jeff Ireland has had exploratory talks with four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long, top pass rusher Cameron Wake, and starting receiver Brian Hartline about redoing their existing deals.

It is unclear how close each player is to getting a new deal done, but owner Steve Ross stressed this week that re-signing Miami's top players was a major priority.

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Given that Ross also said that procuring a franchise quarterback was a top priority, it may be somewhat unsettling for Dolphins fans to hear that the team has now turned its attentions to extending these players.

But there's little question that the trio, who are all set to hit free agency after the 2012 season alongside running back Reggie Bush and others, are all important players that Miami would be best served retaining.

Long, who was the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, is one of the National Football League's premier left tackles, and after an opt-out clause voided the last year of his rookie contract, keeping the four-time Pro Bowler in the fold won't be cheap. As Kelly points out:

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Restructuring Long's deal won't be easy, or cheap because his camp is seeking a contract that returns him to his former status as the NFL's highest paid offensive lineman.

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Re-upping Long might be the most expensive proposition of the three, but it's Wake who will likely see the biggest pay jump, as Kelly reports that the fourth-year pro, who is set to make the switch to defensive end in the Dolphins' new 4-3 defense, is set for a hefty raise after tallying 28 sacks in his first three seasons with the team.

According to Kelly:

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Wake's contract issues are a bit more complicated considering he's slated to earn $615,000 in base salary this season, the final year of a four-year, $2.3 million deal signed as a former CFL standout.

Wake, who has contributed 28 sacks in his three seasons, is arguably the Dolphins' most valuable player. But he's slated to earn one-fourth the salary of kicker Dan Carpenter, who is due $2.5 million in 2012.

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Hartline has the least impressive professional resume of the three, but the Miami coaching staff is reportedly high on Hartline's potential in the Dolphins' West Coast offense. And with Brandon Marshall now in Chicago, the team is now perilously thin at the wideout position.

In fact, it's this lack of depth (and the cap space to address it) that puzzles Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. He finds that, and the Dolphins' apparent lack of focus, more concerning than the team's failed attempt to procure a big-name signal-caller. Salguero writes:

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One agent portrayed the front office as 'too worried about No. 18' to pull the trigger on any other significant move. Another agent asked why the Dolphins seem to have trouble doing more than one thing at a time.

The Dolphins didn’t add talent by subtracting Marshall, no matter your opinion of his locker room standing or ability to distract. The Dolphins, looking to improve a paltry offense, got weaker by trading Marshall.

The Dolphins might argue they couldn’t sign a high-priced wide receiver anyway because their modest salary-cap space wouldn’t allow it without interfering with the ability to sign Manning.

Simply, how is it that a team without any foundational superstar, without a franchise quarterback, without any history for making the playoffs or even reaching .500 the past three years could be so spent against the cap?

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The Miami Dolphins appear to have finally overcome their case of vapor lock and seem to at least be trying to ensure that the team doesn't hemorrhage any more talent.

But with a new head coach, no franchise quarterback, a bare cupboard at wideout and a defensive unit changing schemes, it looks like—where the 2012 season is concerned, at least—these negotiations are a matter of much too little, much too late.

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