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The final shoe for the Miami Dolphins this offseason has dropped. After re-signing their two biggest pending offensive free agents, De’Von Achane and Aaron Brewer, earlier this offseason, Miami has now come to terms with 2025 All-Pro Jordyn Brooks. Out of the three pending extensions, Brooks’ deal was more up in the air, as he was at the center of many trade rumors during the offseason. But now those rumors will die down, as it seems like Brooks will be in it for the long haul with Miami through their new rebuild. So what does this mean for Miami? Did they make the right decision holding onto Brooks?
Jordyn Brooks Contract Details
According to Adam Schefter, Miami and Brooks have agreed to a 3-year, $51.3 million contract extension (with $35 million guaranteed) to tack on to his final year of the 3-year $26.3 million deal he signed with the Dolphins in 2024. The $17.1 million average annual value is in the top 10 among off-ball linebackers and as high as the 5th highest depending on what players are considered off-ball linebackers and edge rushers. The contract details are remarkably similar to Aaron Brewer’s contract extension earlier this offseason. Both players are 28 years old and received three-year deals with average annual values north of $17 million, with about $35 million guaranteed. Like Brewer’s, this extension is certainly worth it.
On the Field Results
What did Brooks’ production last year look like? Well, after a solid 2024 for the Dolphins with 143 total tackles and 86 solo tackles, Brooks took his game to new heights in 2025 with a league-leading 183 total tackles and 99 solo tackles. He also added 3.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 3 passes defended to a well-rounded campaign. Brooks was named First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career and was named the 67th best player in the NFL Top 100 as voted on by the players. Brooks’ 2025 season cemented him as one of the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL and as a pillar for the Miami Dolphins defense in desperate need of franchise cornerstones.
Brooks was able to anchor a Miami Dolphins run defense unit that really came into its own down the stretch in 2025 despite overall team success not following. In the final 10 games of the season, Brooks and the Dolphins’ rush defense held 5 of their opponents to less than 100 rushing yards, including stifling All-Pro rushers Bijan Robinson and James Cook in two of the worst games of their respective seasons. This stout rushing defense was undercut by their very weak pass coverage, and that remains a glaring issue going into 2026, but the Miami Dolphins now have an identity on defense with Jordyn Brooks and a physical run defense.
Future Outlook
Jordyn Brooks’ extension breathes new life into a defense that sorely needs it. A lot of the expected contributors for this season are rookies to 3rd-year players, so maintaining one of the veteran players on the defense who has really set themselves apart as one of the best in the league is a massive boon. With Brooks secured until 2029, Miami now has a future linebacking group that can really set itself apart as the class of the league in a few years.
Next to Brooks are 2026 2nd and 4th-round picks Jacob Rodriguez and Kyle Louis, both of whom have received praise from the team during OTAs for their production in scrimmages. They are both still young, so it’s fairly likely that they won’t step in right away and produce, but with Brooks remaining with the team for the next 3 years, Rodriguez and Louis have a mentor who will show them the ropes and hopefully help their development. And when they do, towards the end of Brooks’ deal, this trio could be the best linebacking group in the NFL thanks to Brooks’ and Rodriguez’s well-rounded game and Louis’s elite pass coverage for a linebacker.
Right call for Miami?
The short answer to this question is a definite yes. Brooks was voted a top 100 player in the NFL by his peers, and last season showed why. At his best, he’s a top 5 off-ball linebacker in the NFL, and keeping him for his ages 29 through 31 seasons is a great call. Maintaining Brooks allows Miami to build around already established players, which should really help the rebuild go smoother. They already have a good baseline in their offensive rushing attack and run defense, so building from there should be a lot easier than simply starting from ground zero.
The Dolphins need roster cohesion and veteran leaders to help lead the rebuild, and keeping Brooks now gives the fledgling defense two such players for the near future in Brooks and defensive tackle Zach Sieler. Specifically, Jordyn Brooks will most likely serve as a key mentor for the two aforementioned rookie linebackers. His production will inevitably decline towards the end of this deal, which will leave the door open for Rodriguez and Louis to take the reins from him as Brooks potentially transitions into a 1B linebacker alongside his fellow former Texas Tech Red Raider linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and flanked by Kyle Louis.
On a more macro level, Brooks’s extension, along with Achane’s and Brewer’s, is a huge call for optimism under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley. Roster cohesion year after year plagued the Miami Dolphins under Chris Grier, with many key franchise players moving on elsewhere as soon as they were priced out of Miami’s plans: players like Jevon Holland, Jonnu Smith, Jaelen Phillips, and Christian Wilkins. While hindsight doesn’t look bad for a couple of the players Miami lost over Grier’s time, the precedent left a bad taste in fans’ mouths.
This new regime making a point of maintaining established stars is a huge cause for hope in a fanbase severely lacking in it. The Miami Dolphins have spun the wheels of mediocrity since Dan Marino’s retirement due in large part to not being able to create new stars or keep them if they do. Now, the team has 3 franchise cornerstones that were paid as such and kept around through a rebuild instead of shipping them off for draft picks. This new mindset by the organization may take some time to bear fruit, but it is certainly a massive step in the right direction as the Dolphins try to build themselves back up.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
