Guards are now getting paid like tackles. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for Robert Hunt, who became the latest interior lineman to cash in on Monday.
The Carolina Panthers are stealing Hunt away from the Miami Dolphins on a five-year contract worth a reported $100 million.
Carolina Panthers Sign Ex-Miami Dolphins OG Robert Hunt
Hunt’s mega-deal comes on the heels of Kevin Dotson and Jonah Jackson getting $16 million and $17 million AAV from the Rams, respectively.
Put simply, the Dolphins couldn’t come close to matching what the Panthers offered and, as a result, will be looking for guard help in free agency and the draft.
Interior linemen still available as of 4 p.m. Monday included Kevin Zeitler, John Simpson (Baltimore Ravens), and Dalton Risner (Minnesota Vikings).
Connor Williams and Isaiah Wynn are also free agents after starting games for the Dolphins in 2023.
Assuming the reported value of Hunt’s new deal is its real value, the former second-round pick becomes the league’s third-highest-paid guard, behind only Landon Dickerson (who signed a four-year, $84 million extension with the Eagles earlier in the day) and the Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom.
Hunt’s departure called a brutal three-hour start to the legal tampering period. Key Dolphins players were lost to other teams in free agency on Monday: defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, and safety Brandon Jones.
The Dolphins were largely helpless to stave off the raid considering their cap situation — they’re more than $20 million over the cap with some 48 hours left to get under it.
What’s more, the Dolphins have several other key players in line for extensions this offseason, including Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips, and Jevon Holland.
KEEP READING: Grading the Christian Wilkins Contract
If there is a silver lining, it’s this: The Dolphins could be in line for as many as four compensatory picks in 2025. But before they get there, they have to survive what could be a bumpy 2024.
Carolina Panthers Grade: B
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