Edge rusher Bradley Chubb did not take the field for the Miami Dolphins in the 2024 season, and there’s a chance he may never play for them again.
On January 20, Bleacher Report’s NFL scouting team named Chubb one of the top three candidates for release from the Dolphins this offseason.
Cutting Chubb as a post-June 1 move would save Miami over $19 million in cap space for the 2025 season.
According to Bleacher Report, releasing Chubb after June 1 isn’t just about clearing room for the current season but about improving the team’s long-term salary cap situation. Chubb is signed to similar cap hits for the next three years.
At 29, Chubb missed the 2024 season due to a significant knee injury. It might make sense for the Dolphins to let second-year player Chop Robinson join Jaelan Phillips as the primary pass rushers moving forward.
Chubb, who made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2022, was the Dolphins’ leader in sacks (11) and forced fumbles (6) in 2023. However, he tore his ACL in Week 17 of that year, and the team placed him on the PUP list in July 2024, never activating him for the season.
Why Bradly Chubb Could Not Return to Miami for 2025 Season
Bleacher Report suggested that cutting Bradley Chubb wouldn’t primarily be about the 2025 salary cap, but the Dolphins still face one of the most challenging cap situations heading into the offseason.
Spotrac forecasts that Miami will be around $14 million over the NFL salary cap when free agency begins, with only three teams in a worse position.
While Bleacher Report predicted the Dolphins would create cap space through contract restructures, releasing Chubb could also free up significant room. Chubb is set to carry a cap hit of $28-29.7 million for the next three seasons. According to Overthecap, the Dolphins could spread out the roughly $27.4 million dead cap hit over the next four years, potentially saving $19.55 million in 2025 by releasing him.
Chubb, 28, accumulated 19 sacks, 42 quarterback hits, and nine forced fumbles over 32 games in 2022 and 2023. If the Dolphins believe he can return to that level of play, keeping him could be worthwhile. However, after an ACL tear, it’s uncertain whether he will reach double-digit sacks again in 2025.
Chubb has only surpassed 10 sacks once in his career—his rookie season in 2018, when he registered 12 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 21 quarterback hits.
Drafted by the Denver Broncos with the fifth overall pick in 2018, Chubb was traded to the Dolphins in 2022. Miami then signed him to a five-year, $110 million extension. In his 24 games with the Dolphins, Chubb has recorded 13.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 34 quarterback hits.
Dolphins Developing Edge Rusher Chop Robinson
The Dolphins’ decision on whether to release Bradley Chubb could hinge on whether they believe they have a more affordable replacement in 2024 first-round pick, Chop Robinson.
Robinson, selected No. 21 overall last spring, impressed as a rookie, especially towards the end of the 2024 season. Six of his eight tackles for loss and all six of his sacks came in the final 10 games of the year. Robinson also registered 14 quarterback hits and four pass defenses.
The Dolphins will also have Jaelan Phillips, another former first-round pick, returning in 2025. Phillips, 25, tallied 22 sacks in his first 42 games from 2021 to 2023, but he started 2024 training camp on the PUP list and suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4.
If the Dolphins are confident in Phillips’ recovery, especially since he is about three years younger than Chubb, it could make Chubb even more expendable.
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