https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/miami-dolphins-tackle-austin-jackson-signing-contract-extension Wanted to post the same thing. Well deserved, he‘s the most reliable OL on our team this year.
Good ****. Kinda feel like thats the first domino for next szn. honestly Gink, Tua, Wilkins, Connor? Pretty sure Connor will be hardest negotiation.
Given that Jackson is, in effect, a LT for our lefty QB? Pretty cheap contract. Turning what looked like a first round bust into a second-contract worthy player is a win for Grier. However, rumors are that Grier is ready to trade Jackson away next year for a couple first rounders and a second.
Life comes at you fast. I'll bet 90% of Dolfans were wondering how he made it to year #3 and now, I'll bet most in that contingent are happy to get blindside protection for $12/year. Glad for AJ and I'm glad Coach plucked up Butch Barry (who was also much maligned, BTW).
I always saw it- his college film and his NFL tape from the first few years were not the same guy. I think his bone marrow surgery just took that long for his body to rehab and for him to re-find his form and technique. Because the first few seasons, his technique was terrible, he was always out of position and trying to man-handle opponents instead of using form and leverage. He did that, obviously, because he was used to being able to throw grown men around as rag dolls in college. Doesn't work that way in the pros though and you have to have the proper footwork, stance, etc. to consistently win. Very happy for him and the team- glad it finally worked out and the salary isn't crazy high. His $20M guaranteed is around $6.5M a season? That's a bargain for a position of great need.
For the last few seasons I wanted Jackson’s head on a platter. Couldn’t block worth a crap. Maybe he heard all of us fans this off-season and took it to heart. Well done Jackson! I was losing patience but I’m glad he finally stepped up to be a cornerstone on our historically poor offensive line. Just hope he keeps it up with him getting his payday.
This is a great deal for the Dolphins. Looking at the right tackle deals from last year I was expecting him to get at least $18M a year taking into account how well he has played this year and also how young he still is. This deal gives him a load of money now but the chance to make even more when he hits his prime in 3 years.
I think it honestly just took him some time to grow into manhood. He was just a kid when we drafted him. Not even 20 IIRC.
Contrary to most fans' beliefs (present company excepted, of course), offensive linemen are not all plug-and-play. Some are better in inside zone schemes, some better for outside. Some work well in both. Some college tackles are good fits playing inside in the pros and guards have good attributes to play tackle in the pros. Some can swing, others can only play right or left. You get my point. I honestly think we drafted him with the intent of working within Chan Gailey's scheme and in addition to his health, he wasn't a good fit. He was hurt for much of last season, so I don't think anybody outside of team HQ knew he was a better fit within an outside zone system. I'll go to my grave believing that at least 40% of players who fail early in the NFL would have succeeded had they been drafted by the right team. I'm glad for the young man, he always seemed like a good guy off the field.
Great deal. His 5th year option would have been 12.5M anyways. So the decision to pass on the option year didn’t even cost them. Basically got the same AAV deal, except with a 3 year term locked in on a young player, instead of a 1 year term.
Agreed. Wilkins is dominate in the middle. He should be 1st over Gink. Although I would love to have both back.
Tua knows as well as anybody what it's like to be dismissed and utterly disrespected before you have a chance to show your value.
Dolphins right tackle Austin Jackson signed a three-year contract extension this week and one of the reasons why the team paid him was because of the work he’s done protecting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this season. Jackson and Tagovailoa were both 2020 first-round picks in Miami and their 2023 experience has been much better than what they went through in their first couple of years with the club. Tagovailoa reflected on that experience, which came under former head coach Brian Flores, on Thursday while sharing his happiness for Jackson. “I just smile because of where he’s come from early when we got here together,” Tagovailoa said, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “There’s a lot of things that have been said about him in front of team meetings, in the media and things like that. So, I’m just happy. I don’t want to get choked up about it. What he’s done is tremendous. What he’s done is tremendous. I’m very proud of him. Very happy.” Tagovailoa said it was “truly remarkable to sit in those meetings and have things told about you that you know aren’t true but get planted in your head” and credited current head coach Mike McDaniel and his staff with building them both back up over the last couple of years. That process has not included a new deal for Tagovailoa yet, but his play this season is pushing him closer to one that is sure to pay him a lot more than Jackson while ensuring that they remain in the same locker room a while longer.
Flores told him he was garbage and would never be anything in this league. McDaniel comes in and says you can be a great player in this league. You have to think a little loyalty to McDaniel factored in to his decision to take a team friendly contract to protect the franchise's blindside.
