Chris Perkins: Dolphins’ De’Von Achane deserves a contract extension, but . . .

· Yahoo Sports

MIAMI GARDENS — I had a spirited conversation Tuesday with Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald and Alain Poupart of MiamiDolphinsonSi.com regarding running back De’Von Achane and his contract extension negotiations with the Dolphins.

I maintain that Achane’s guaranteed money should be somewhere between the $30 million received by Bills running back James Cook on his four-year, $48 million deal signed in August, and the $29 million that Jets running back Breece Hall got on his three-year, $45.75 million deal he signed Friday.

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Kelly and Poupart think Achane will push for more from the Dolphins, and that anticipated contract extensions by Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs will/should impact Achane’s contract extension. They think Achane’s contract should be closer to Robinson and Gibbs.

Robinson is expected to get perhaps $40 million guaranteed on a three-year, $60 million deal and Gibbs is expected to be in that same neighborhood.

Poupart and Kelly are wrong and I’m right (it’s cool; we’re friends, and both of them are woefully incorrect on this topic, evidenced by the fact that one of them invoked the phrase, “The market is what the market is,” a philosophy that led to the ill-fated Tua Tagovailoa contract extension). 

Allow me to add to this: good luck to Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan in contract talks with Achane. I doubt that things get ugly, but I have a feeling the term “hold in” might surface in relation to Achane’s training camp participation.

Due to Achane’s contract situation, I’m not expecting him to show up with the rest of the veteran players during voluntary OTAs (organized team activities), which started last week and continue through May. He’s required to show up during the mandatory minicamp in early June.

For the record, Achane probably can’t sign a contract extension until June 2, at the earliest, when the Dolphins get money from releasing edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who was designated as a June 1 cut.

OK, let’s delve deeper into the Achane debate.

I’m a huge Achane fan. He’s possibly the best player on the team (center Aaron Brewer and linebacker Jordyn Brooks are in that discussion).

Sullivan said in April that Achane “is not available for trade.”

In November, I was the first to write that Achane deserves team MVP and a contract extension.

However, the length and amount of that extension must be within certain boundaries.

Here’s the heart of my argument:

Achane, at 5-foot-9, 191 pounds, averaged 17.9 touches per game from scrimmage (238 carries, 67 receptions) last season.

By comparison, Baltimore’s Derrick Henry, at 6-2, 252 pounds, averaged 18.9 touches per game from scrimmage (307 carries, 15 receptions) from scrimmage last season.

Gibbs, at 5-9, 202 pounds, averaged 18.8 touches from scrimmage per game (243 carries, 77 receptions) last season.

Robinson, at 5-11, 215 pounds, averaged 21.5 touches per game (287 carries, 79 receptions) from scrimmage last season.

Achane, as noted, is a 191-pound running back and the NFL life expectancy of such players isn’t long. 

The reality is that Achane’s workload might increase significantly this season, considering offensive standouts such as wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are gone, leaving Achane as the only legitimate scoring threat. That’s not good for Achane’s longevity.

If Achane, who has been impressively durable, gets a Robinson-size workload over the next two seasons, which is possible/likely, you’ve got to think his effectiveness goes downhill proportionally.

If I’m Sullivan, and I know that the cash-strapped Dolphins also need to extend the contracts of Brewer and Brooks this offseason, I would explain to the 24-year-old Achane that the overall plan is to sign him to a three-year extension and lighten his workload by developing fellow running backs Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II. 

When Achane’s three-year extension is scheduled to expire, the Dolphins, ideally, could be positioned to make a run at the AFC Championship or Super Bowl.

Giving Achane Cook/Hall money as opposed to Robinson/Gibbs money allows Miami to add talent to prepare the team for a .500 record in 2027, and an extended playoff run in 2028.

At that time, you decide whether the 27-year-old Achane, who would be a six-year veteran with lots of mileage on his body and, likely, a limited future, deserves another contract extension.

If Achane is part of a running back rotation, I probably give him the extension. If Achane is a featured back with an increased workload, however, I probably allow him to depart in free agency because I know what his future likely holds.

Sullivan must keep the big financial dominoes in mind.

— Achane, Brewer and Brooks get three-year extensions in 2026;

— Left tackle Patrick Paul gets an extension in 2027;

— Quarterback Malik Willis, if he plays well in 2026-27, will ask for a contract extension averaging about $50 million a year in 2028.

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I understand that Achane, a team player, doesn’t care about Brooks, Brewer or anyone else getting extensions. He cares about his own contract extension, and rightfully so.

I further understand that Achane isn’t concerned right now about getting a contract extension when he’s 27. He’s concerned about this year’s contract situation.

The Achane contract extension situation is interesting, and it’s another major test for Sullivan.

If Sullivan can keep Achane around Cook/Hall money, it’d be the right thing.

If Sullivan allows Achane to creep into Robinson/Gibbs territory, financially speaking, this could be a Tua situation all over again.

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