De’Von Achane is entering the final NFL season of his four-year, entry-level contract with the Miami Dolphins. As the team returns to the field for Day 1 of the offseason program, Achane is making his stand. Holding out as he hopes to sign a bigger contract, Achane puts head coach Jeff Hafley on notice, but he isn’t too concerned.
According to Dolphins reporters Marcel Louis-Jacques and Barry Jackson, Hafley made it clear “this is all part of the business”. Moreover, the first-year head coach believes Jon-Eric Sullivan and the front office will figure out a way to keep Achane in Miami.
The Dolphins are entering a complete rebuild. Stars such as Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Bradley Chubb, and others have already left. Many believe Achane could be the next name on that list, but Miami has no desire to move on from its best and most electric player.
Achane knows his worth in Miami
When Achane touches the pigskin, anything can happen in Miami Gardens. However, if he isn’t paid accordingly, the star running back could look for a future elsewhere. Achane knows how crucial he is to the Dolphins’ offense. Still, running back is the most underpaid position in the NFL, and even Achane may fall victim to a system that exploits halfbacks but leaves them out to dry as soon as things head south.
De’Von Achane is holding out ahead of a contract year
Entering a contract year, the stakes are just too high for the product out of Texas A&M. Thus, he is using his leverage to get a deal out of Miami before the season begins. If not, he could risk: (a) suffering an injury, (b) watching his production dip, or (c) both.
Any option would hinder his value and could end up costing him a lot of money, as well as job security in a league that can forget its stars as fast as it initially dubbed them generational talents. That is also part of the business—an ugly side to it, perhaps, but no less real because of it.
Could Achane ask out of Miami?
For all of these reasons, Achane may ask to be traded to a team with a real shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy. For the Phins, it feels like any championship window won’t open for a while—not unless they find their franchise savior in the upcoming draft or in 2027. The lack of success Miami has had in drafting franchise quarterbacks leads fans to not be fully sold on that promise.
Achane is the most explosive player on a Miami Dolphins squad that lacks weapons on both sides of the ball. Miami would love nothing more than to keep the fourth-year running back in town. Yet the Phins are well aware that, just as elusive as he is on the gridiron and capable of breaking off to the races, Achane could just as quickly bolt from the Dolphins.
It’s paramount for Sullivan and Haffley to figure out a way to keep him around. In a worst-case scenario, Miami should vie for a king’s ransom in a trade involving Achane. Any other outcome may be a terrible omen to start Sullivan and Haffley’s time in South Florida.
