Koa Misi, Dolphins Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

The Miami Dolphins and linebacker Koa Misi agreed to a restructured contract on Thursday, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports first reported that the Dolphins and Misi would be restructuring his deal.

Fowler noted that Misi's reworked deal "is expected to include 2016 incentives for the chance to recoup money reworked in the new deal, according to a source."

Misi, 29, notched a career-high 79 tackles in 13 games for the Dolphins this season and projects as the team's starting strongside linebacker, though the linebacker position remains one of the bigger weaknesses for the team after the Dolphins finished 28th against the run last season.

Kelvin Sheppard is also set to hit free agency after leading the unit with 105 tackles from his middle linebacker position, potentially weakening the unit further. The Dolphins are expected to upgrade at linebacker in free agency or through the NFL draft.

Clearing cap space is paramount for the Dolphins as well, however, and according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, "There’s been talk about the Dolphins restructuring defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh’s contract in order to create more cap space to use this offseason."

The Dolphins have a slew of free agents, including Derrick Shelby, Lamar Miller and Rishard Matthews, while defensive end Olivier Vernon was slapped with the transition tag, meaning he could ultimately sign with a different team if Miami doesn't match the offer.

Restructuring Misi's deal, then, was a necessary move as the Dolphins try to create some cap space to retain their top players set to hit free agency.

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