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Who could be the next Dolphins player(s) to get an extension?

Miami Dolphins On SI · Jul 22, 2026 17:32 · 3 min read

Who Could Be the Next Dolphins Player(s) To Get An Extension? — Miami Dolphins cornerback JuJu Brents runs onto the field prior to the 2025 NFL Madrid Game against the Washington Commanders at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Miami Dolphins have kept three of their front-line players from reaching free agency next offseason, but they still have more than two dozen 2027 UFAs

With the extension for linebacker Jordyn Brooks, which became official Wednesday, the Miami Dolphins now have secured the services of their top three players for the foreseeable future and avoided the risk of losing De'Von Achane, Aaron Brewer and/or Brooks via free agency next offseason.

But the Dolphins still have a large number of players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the 2026 season, in large part the result of GM Jon-Eric Sullivan signing so many newcomers this offseason to one-year contracts.

While the most important contracts have been addressed, there is nothing precluding Sullivan from locking up other players at any point between now and next March.

And those potential targets for extensions include the 27 pending UFAs for next spring, as well as young players who will become extension-eligible after the 2026 season.

So who could be next for an extension?

THE NEXT DOLPHINS EXTENSION CANDIDATES

Let's start first by running down the more than two dozen pending UFAs, which includes 18 newcomers the Dolphins signed this year.

Those players are, in no particular order, P Bradley Pinion, OL Jamaree Salyer, K Zane Gonzalez, S Lonnie Johnson Jr., S Zayne Anderson, CB Darrell Baker Jr., WR Jalen Tolbert, edge David Ojabo, edge Josh Uche, WR Tutu Atwell, T Charlie Heck, LB Ronnie Harrison Jr., TE Ben Sims, CB Marco Wilson, CB Alex Austin, WR Terrace Marshall Jr., WR Jalen Reagor and edge Robert Beal Jr.

The other nine pending UFAs are T Austin Jackson, TE Greg Dulcich, LB Tyrel Dodson, CB JuJu Brents, K Riley Patterson, LB Willie Gay Jr., edge Cameron Goode, CB A.J. Green III and DL Matthew Butler.

Of that group, Dulcich, Patterson, Gay, Green and Butler all re-signed with Miami this offseason, all obviously to one-year contracts.

Of those 27 pending UFAs, Austin Jackson is the accomplished, while Dulcich and Brents might be the most promising.

They're the players with whom we'd start if we're looking at extension candidates to keep them off the 2027 free agent market, but it's difficult to envision Jackson getting a new contract before he makes it through the 2026 season without more injury issues.

Jackson getting an extension could be considered a long shot beyond his injury issue because of the selection of Kadyn Proctor in the first round of the 2026 draft, with the assumption being that he'll move to right tackle on a full-time basis after starting off at left guard as a rookie.

On the flip side, it's easy to envision the Dolphins wanting to hang on to Dulcich and Brents if they get off to a good start in the first season under the new regime of Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley.

We'd also keep an eye on Anderson, who Sullivan and Hafley brought over from Green Bay after he spent four years as a special teams specialist. If Anderson shows early on he can handle an increased role on defense, we'd look for him to get an extension as well.

For the rest of the pending UFAs, it will be about shining enough to convince Sullivan and Hafley they're keepers.

Of the returning Dolphins players, Dodson might face the toughest task in earning a new contract simply because Miami drafted three linebackers this year with Jacob Rodriguez, Trey Moore and Kyle Louis.

THE PATRICK PAUL FACTOR

The best guess here is that the Dolphins will sign at least one player to an extension during (or maybe even before) the 2026 season.

If they don't, then maybe the next in line will be tackle Patrick Paul, who will be extension-eligible after next season.

The Dolphins certainly are hoping that Paul takes an equally big step forward as he did in 2025 in his first season as a full-time starter, but that likely will lead to a demand from his agent for an extension that wouldn't be cheap given the prime position he plays.

Sullivan already has shown this year with the Achane-Brewer-Brooks extensions he wants to keep core players around, so we would expect he'd want to do the same with Paul.