The Miami Dolphins and cornerback Xavien Howard have agreed to terms on a 5-year, $76.5 million contract extension. The deal will make the Baylor product the highest paid DB in the NFL. Howard was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft and made the pro bowl last season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report on the signing via his Twitter.
Dolphins are signing CB Xavien Howard to a record five-year, $76.5 million extension that includes $46M guaranteed, making him the highest paid CB in the NFL, sources tell ESPN. It’s the largest extension for a CB. Since becoming a 2nd-round pick, Howard has gone to one Pro Bowl.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 9, 2019
In his three years in the league, Xavien Howard has started 34 games and racked up 11 interceptions, 123 total tackles, and five tackles for loss yards. In last year’s pro bowl season, Howard played in only 12 games before needing surgery on his knee and missing the remainder of the year. In his limited time, however, Howard had seven of his 11 career interceptions and became a bright spot of an otherwise average season for the Dolphins.
After firing head coach Adam Gase and trading away quarterback Ryan Tannehill earlier in the offseason, the Dolphins made it clear that this upcoming season will be spent rebuilding. Since then, Miami hired head coach Brian Flores, signed quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and traded for quarterback Josh Rosen on the second day of the NFL draft. With the rebuild clearly underway, the Dolphins decided to anchor their defense on the pro bowl cornerback with the hopes that the largest contract for a DB plays for itself when the rebuild is complete.
