The modern NFL has trended toward not giving running backs huge contracts.
The Miami Dolphins, though, made De’Von Achane one of the league’s highest-paid RBs in the offseason, what seemed like a logical deal at the time.
Just three weeks into the 2026 season, though, it already looks worse.
Achane tore his ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Dolphins are now 0-3, and Achane is lost for the season.
De’Von Achane Contract Details
Achane isn’t actually playing this season on his extension years yet.
The extension kicks in for 2027 and runs through the 2030 season.
Achane’s contract extension was for four years and $64 million, with $27.4 million guaranteed.
It averages out to $16 million per year, although the Dolphins structured it so the cap hit in 2027 is $13.8 million before it rises to $17.2 million, another $17.2 million and then $18.7 million in cap hits each of the subsequent seasons.
Achane will be 29 years old at the end of the contract.
How De’Von Achane’s Injury Impacts Contract
At the moment, nothing will change about Achane’s contract. He’ll still have the four extension years to play.
Miami will just have to hope that the injury doesn’t impact Achane’s ability to live up to the money that they’ll be paying him.
The risk of paying an RB, the modern thinking goes, comes from two places.
One is injuries to the back himself. If running backs are more likely to get knocked out for a season with an injury, then committing big money to them could be viewed as potentially risky.
Then there’s the second element: replacement players. Many teams believe that the guys they plug in for an injured RB aren’t that big of a drop-off — and so why pay one guy too much when there are others out there that aren’t all that different?
Achane, at least in that realm, is an exception. He’s a multi-faceted back who can run and catch better than most players in the NFL. He’s hard to replace.
So none of this is a criticism that the Dolphins gave Achane the contract they did.
The harsh reality is that sometimes, this is what life in the NFL is like.
The Dolphins knew they’d be relying on Achane this season and well into the future, but for that to happen now, he’s going to have to heal up from a season-ending injury in the hopes of helping Miami still in the future.
De’Von Achane Contract Could Cost Dolphins After Injury