The Miami Dolphins struck gold in free agency in 2024. The team landed tight end Jonnu Smith, who made the Pro Bowl while also securing a roster cornerstone level talent on either side of the ball via center Aaron Brewer and linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Those deals were all economic, too.
An encore in 2025 has proven increasingly difficult to achieve for the Dolphins. Cornerbacks Rasul Douglas and Jack Jones have played above their pay grade this season, but neither came on a long-term contract like Miami’s trio of success stories from the prior season did. The team’s safety room has been a disappointment outside of rookie Dante Trader Jr. and jack-of-all-trades Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was acquired via trade in July. And now, thanks to a few developments this month, Miami’s 2025 free agent class looks even more unfortunate.
Mike McDaniel finally concedes that we’ve seen the last of OG James Daniels this season
Jul 29, 2025; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins guard James Daniels (78) speaks to reporters during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Offensive guard James Daniels was supposed to be the Dolphins’ prized possession in free agency. The team that spent next to no big money did give Daniels a three-year, $24 million contract on the open market despite Daniels returning from an Achilles injury the previous season. And Daniels, to his credit, was a participant throughout all of training camp and was cleared with no snap counts or restrictions early on. But then Week 1 rolled around. And Daniels, the Dolphins’ lone big fish in free agency, suffered a pec injury on the third play from scrimmage. Head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that he will not play again in 2025.
“With regard to (Daniels’) season, I don’t see him playing this year. Beyond that, I try not to extrapolate post-2025 team while in 2025 team business,” said McDaniel.
Daniels’ bottom line will reflect $8.26 million in compensation for the 2025 season — meaning he was payed nearly $3 million per snap on the year. $2,754,501.67 per snap, to be exact. If you’re hurt, you’re hurt. Injuries happen. But this math should hurt the brains of Dolphins fans everywhere as we pick up the pieces of yet another lost season. The man responsible for getting pen on paper, former general manager Chris Grier, is out. He was dismissed in October. Perhaps there’s some solace to be found there?
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Miami Dolphins’ top free agent signings in 2025
OG James Daniels: 3-year, $24 million contract (3 snaps played)
QB Zach Wilson: 1-year, $6 million contract (23 snaps played)
SAF Ifeatu Melifonwu: 1-year, $3.01 million contract
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 2-years, $5.99 million contract
But here’s the thing. Daniels isn’t alone when looking back on horrible free agent signings with the benefit of hindsight. The Dolphins, one year after not paying a backup quarterback to protect their compensatory picks via free agency only to need a backup quarterback desperately, chose to pay Zach Wilson this year.
Wilson got a one-year contract worth up to $6 million in March. And Wilson, after spending the entirety of the 2025 season minus a week in Cleveland as the team’s backup quarterback, did not get the call to start when Mike McDaniel benched Tua Tagovailoa this past week. His play was deferred, instead, to a seventh-round rookie in Quinn Ewers. Wilson has played 23 snaps of garbage time this season between the Indianapolis, Atlanta, and New York Jets games.
The benefit of hindsight would point out that Miami did not know they’d be getting Ewers in the draft when they signed Wilson a contract in March. But the bottom line still reflects that Miami spent over $14 million of their cash budget this season, by far the largest slice of the pie of what Miami spend on the open market in 2025, for a guard that played three snaps and a quarterback who got lapped (regardless of the motivations) by a rookie for the starting job. And, as a result, they’ve cost themselves a potential pair of compensatory draft picks in 2026 in exchange for 26 snaps, plus whatever else Miami may get from Wilson over the final two weeks.
When you start assessing where Miami can get better moving forward, this is a good place to start. You don’t need to expect home run free agent classes like 2024 every year. But getting actual return on your investment would go a long way to returning Miami to competition in years to come.
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Dec 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.