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Imagine the Seattle Seahawks with a linebacker duo of Ernest Jones IV and Jordyn Brooks. That won't happen, but it could have. None of that is meant as any disrespect to Drake Thomas or Tyrice Knight, but Brooks is elite, and he has now gotten paid for it, albeit by the Miami Dolphins.
Brooks left in free agency after the 2023 season and signed with Miami. He did not appear to be a perfect fit in then-new head coach Mike Macdonald's scheme, as Brooks' coverage skills were viewed as iffy. He probably could have proved to be better, but instead Seattle made the mistakes of signing Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker to replace him.
Brooks was good for the Dolphins in 2024 and fantastic in 2025. He was named First-Team All-Pro at inside linebacker after leading the league in combined and solo tackles. He was still bandied about as potentially being traded this offseason. Instead, the Dolphins signed Brooks to an extension ahead of training camp for three more years and as much as $51,3 million.
Seattle Seahawks castoff Jordyn Brooks finally gets his big payday from the Miami Dolphins
Before the extension, the linebacker's biggest cap hit was $10,862,166, which was set to occur this coming season. In his new deal, he will make an average of $17 million a year. Instead of trying to completely tear down and rebuild, the Dolphins locked onto players they saw as foundational pieces and extended them this offseason while still rebuilding.
Miami extended running back De'Von Achane, center Aaron Brewer, and now Brooks. While that is all great for the Dolphins, Brooks' success since he left the Seattle Seahawks is still somewhat bittersweet. He was a good person off the field, and he worked hard to be a better player; many fans might still wish he was playing home games in the Pacific Northwest.
He likely needed to leave Seattle to truly find his way in the league. He was in the shadow of Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright when Seattle chose Brooks in the first round of the 2020 draft. Wright left the following year, and Wagner, for the first time, a year after that. The inside linebacker group could have belonged to Jordyn Brooks, but the team was diminishing at the same time.
Would the current makeup of the team, even after winning the Super Bowl last season, be better with Brooks playing next to Ernest Jones? Sure, but that was never a realistic option. The hope for many 12s now is that Seattle will continue to win Super Bowls, but Brooks continues to get honors with the Miami Dolphins.
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This article was originally published on 12thmanrising.com as Former Seahawks player finally gets his long-awaited reward with the Dolphins.
