Ndamukong Suh, Dolphins Agree to New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

Only one year after he joined the team, Ndamukong Suh agreed to a restructuring of the massive contract he signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2015, the Dolphins announced on March 5.

ESPN's Field Yates, citing a source, reported on Tuesday that the Dolphins created $16 million in cap space from the new deal. 

Even before the ink was dry on the deal, the terms of the original agreement looked almost unsustainable for the Dolphins, at least if they hoped to build a true Super Bowl contender. According to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson, Suh's base salary climbed from $985,000 in the first year to just under $23.5 million in the second—the highest in the league for next year.

Couple that with Suh's $5.1 million signing bonus, and he carried a $28.6 million cap hit for Miami in 2016, per Spotrac. Before this restructuring, the team was over the cap, also per Spotrac, leaving general manager Chris Grier without flexibility.

J Pat Carter/Associated Press

In January Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post first reported the Dolphins' desire to rework Suh's contract, adding that a clause in the deal "allows them to take one year of salary and spread it out over the life of the contract for cap purposes."

On one hand, Grier might have been hesitant about selecting that option so soon after the team signed Suh; it will only further handcuff the Dolphins down the line.

On the other hand, 2016 was set to provide the biggest single-season cap hit over the course of the original agreement. Pulling the trigger on the clause with four years remaining beyond 2016 somewhat minimizes future damage.

Plus, defensive end Olivier Vernon, wide receiver Rishard Matthews and running back Lamar Miller are among Miami's free agents. Grier will need to have enough money to not only retain at least some of those mentioned but also spend a bit in free agency and sign the team's draft picks.

To a certain extent, the narrative around Suh didn't reflect his performance. The Dolphins' spending spree last year resulted in a 6-10 record, which was fairly or unfairly going to be blamed on Suh. WEEI's Jerry Thornton summed up that general attitude:

The four-time Pro Bowler did himself few favors, though, when he was apparently "freelancing" on certain plays back in September, per Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. He also utilized some questionable leadership techniques with his teammates, reportedly telling them, "Only a handful of guys are good enough to play with me right now," per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport in an NFL Network GameDay Morning interview (via NFL.com's Kevin Patra).

Still, Pro Football Focus graded Suh as the league's fourth-best interior defender. He largely delivered on the field.

Suh isn't going anywhere anytime soon unless the Dolphins either eat a ton of dead money or find somebody willing to assume the significant amount of money he's owed. As a result, Grier and the rest of Miami's front office have to make the best of a tough situation and find ways to work around Suh's salary.

It wouldn't be surprising if Grier attempted to renegotiate the contracts of a few other of the team's veteran contributors in order to free up some more cap space this offseason.