Allen's original base salary that the Dolphins weren't willing to pay was $5.5 million. The details of his newly restructured contract have not been released yet, but Allen's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has said that the deal's base salary is much smaller than the previous $5.5 million.
This could end up being a good move or a bad move for Miami depending on how much the new deal is worth.
If the Dolphins were able to significantly reduce Allen's contract to under, say, $3 million, then I think it would be a good deal because they are getting a veteran presence for a cheap price. If the deal is worth more than $3 million, then I don't think they made a good decision, because while he would contribute, Miami doesn't need him that badly. Vontae Davis and Sean Smith should be playing most of the time, and I don't think it's worth paying $3 million or more for a backup.
One thing that Allen does do that Sean Smith sometimes struggles with is catching the ball. That is probably one of the reasons why the Dolphins still want to hold on to him, but hopefully Sean's catching has improved enough so Allen won't need to come in for him.
I am interested to see how many years are in the deal. Allen has been in the NFL for 10 seasons, and the most recent four seasons have been with Miami. If both sides are willing, this could be a contract that keeps him with the Dolphins for the rest of his career.
We will see what happens. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment.
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