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REPORT: Armstead Willing to Take Pay Cut to Keep Miami Option Open

The status of five-time Pro Bowl tackle Terron Armstead is one of the biggest question of the offseason for the Miami Dolphins

Alain Poupart

Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead (72) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead (72) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
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INDIANAPOLIS — Terron Armstead apparently is willing to do what it takes to keep the door open to a possible return to the Miami Dolphins.

Not long ago after head coach Mike McDaniel said at the 2025 scouting combine that the team was proceeding as though the five-time Pro Bowl tackle was going to retire, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Armstead is willing to take a cut in his base salary to the veteran minimum to lower his cap number and potentially remain with the team.

The veteran minimum for 2024 was a base salary of $1.2 million for veterans with at least seven years of NFL experience.

Per overthecap.com, Armstead was scheduled to make $13.3 million in base salary next season with a cap number of almost $23 million. While the prorated portion of his signing bonus still will apply against the case, a pay cut immediately would provide more than $10 million in cap space.

The Dolphins would save $4 million against the cap if they were to release Armstead before June 1 at his current cap number, and the same numbers apply if he were to retire.

Money clearly hasn't been Armstead's biggest motivating factor in the late stages of his NFL career because he took a pay cut last year when he returned to the Dolphins for a third season.

Like Calais Campbell, Armstead has had a great career, but one that's been missing a Super Bowl title.

During interviews on Radio Row at Super Bowl LXIX, Armstead kept talking about the Dolphins as someone who was planning to be with the team in 2025, but McDaniel said Tuesday morning that he still hadn't informed the team of his decision.

“We’ve been in direct communication with Terron as recent as last week, and one thing that Terron understands is from the organizational perspective we have to operate in some way, shape or form," McDaniel said. "I think with Terron reflecting his ability and all that, he’s not totally ready to make that decision. As a result, I think we have to operate as though he won’t play – just because you have to prepare for things that you can’t control. But I think he’s going to take his time with his family and loved ones and make that decision because it is not an easy one. But we will be operating as though we are moving on in that way, simply for the execution of free agency and the draft.”

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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