Julius Thomas Reportedly Agrees to Restructured 2-Year Contract with Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins and tight end Julius Thomas agreed to a two-year, $12 million restructuring of his contract Thursday after his trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars became official.

Adam Caplan of ESPN reported the news, which Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel confirmed.

Thomas, 28, spent the last two seasons in Jacksonville. A major offseason signing in 2015, Thomas' reign with the Jaguars was mostly filled with injuries and underperformance. He recorded 30 receptions for 281 yards and four touchdowns in 2016 while limited to nine games. He missed 11 games due to injuries over the last two seasons.

The deal reunites Thomas and Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, who previously worked together with the Denver Broncos. Gase was Denver's offensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014, which saw Thomas post 24 touchdowns and make a pair of Pro Bowls.

"The offense is proven. I've been able to play in it and know exactly what kind of weapon it can be and what it can do for a team," Thomas said. "For the tight end, it's amazing to be able to play for a guy that's going to allow you to use your full range of skill sets...stretch the field, have some creative routes in there. Just try and create separation and make plays."

Thomas was scheduled to make $7.1 million in base salary next season. He was on the books for $8.6 million in 2018 and $9 million in 2019, as part of the five-year, $46 million deal he signed in Jacksonville.

The Dolphins got very little production from the tight end position last season. Dion Sims led the way with 26 receptions for 256 yards and four touchdowns, but he was fourth on the team in targets. Ryan Tannehill focused the majority of his targets on wideouts Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills. With Stills returning, it's unclear how many targets will be out there for Thomas to grab.

But he'll no doubt command more attention than Sims, and the restructuring of his deal makes this a fine buy-low.