Dolphins and Bryant McKinnie eliminate a year from his contract

Bryant McKinnie and the Dolphins agreed to void the final year of the two-year, $6.3 million contract he initially signed with the Baltimore Ravens this past offseason.

"That was part of the agreement we made," McKinnie said addressing the conditions of the trade, which McKinnie admits he sought, and his agent helped broker.

Who wanted to void the final year? According to McKinnie, both sides wanted to make him a rental for the final 10 games of 2013.

"Play well and become a free agent again," said McKinnie, a former UM standout who is concluding his 12th NFL season.

McKinnie, who has started the past five games at left tackle for the Dolphins, was guaranteed $2 million for this season and earns $588,235 in base salary.

He was slated to earn a base salary of $2 million in 2014, which included a $500,000 roster bonus if he made it out of training camp. Now he'll become an unrestricted free agent.

If the Dolphins had released McKinnie instead of reworking the contract ,Miami would have accrued $1 million in dead money. That concern is now gone.

Now that McKinnie is slated to become a free agent in 2014, the only returning offensive line starters under contract moving forward will be center Mike Pouncey and offensive tackle Jonathan Martin, who has been away from the team for a month because of claims the Dolphins created a hostile working environment.

While Martin's attorney, David Cornwell, claims his client wants to continue his NFL career, there is doubt Martin wants to do it with the Dolphins.

McKinnie ($2 million), Richie Incognito ($4.2 million), John Jerry ($755,000) and Tyson Clabo ($3.5 million) are all playing on the final year of their existing contracts.


(sun-sentinel.com)