Lamar Miller Contract: Latest News and Rumors on Negotiations with Dolphins

Heading into the last season of his rookie contract, Lamar Miller would like to have a long-term contract in place going forward. Though there have been discussions, it doesn't appear Miller and the Dolphins are close to an agreement.

Continue for updates.

---

Miller, Dolphins Not Having 'In-Depth' Conversations

Wednesday, July 29

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the two sides have had cursory talks but no substantial progress on a deal.

Miller, 24, set a career high in nearly every major rushing category last season. He rushed for 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry as one benefactor of Miami's revamped offense.

Pro Football Focus' grading system ranked him the 15th-best running back in football. Football Outsiders DVOA, which measures a player in comparison to a replacement-level guy at his same position, was even kinder in ranking Miller third. The Dolphins, who kept Miller under 20 carries all of 2014, have even been open to extending his workload.

“I would tell you I’ve nver been in a meeting where I’ve said to [offensive coordinator] Bill [Lazor] or [running backs coach] Jeff Nixon or the offensive line coaches have said ‘Lamar can’t carry the ball 20 times a game. He can’t do it,’” Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said, per James Walker of ESPN.com. “I’ve never heard that. That’s never come out of my mouth.”

Still, there is some circumstantial evidence pointing toward the Dolphins not being 100 percent sold on Miller as their long-term option. They were widely linked to Todd Gurley before the draft and then used a fifth-round pick on the versatile Jay Ajayi. The Boise State product has a little bit of Matt Forte in his game, so it would not be surprising to see him supplant Miller on third downs.

Moving forward, Ajayi was one of the most prolific backs in the entire country. He's under team control at an almost nonexistent salary; none of his cap hits so much as reach $800,000 during his rookie deal. If Ajayi flashes potential in 2015, the Dolphins might be smart to allow Miller to hit free agency and hand over the reins to the youngster.

"In Miller’s case, the Dolphins might have a possible replacement in Jay Ajayi—every top Dolphins executive keeps calling Ajayi a three-down back—but nobody has seen nearly enough of the rookie to know that for sure," Jackson wrote. 

We're getting way ahead of ourselves here, but running back is a fungible position. Players hop in and out of prominence each year, and Miller's own career arc shows that. After being nearly anonymous his first two seasons, he broke out in 2014. Miami would be smart to hold off on a deal until the running back hierarchy begins playing itself out.  

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter