For most of the offseason, Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane has seen his name in the trade rumor mill. With the new regime led by general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, changes swiftly came to Miami.
The Dolphins cut ties with Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa, then traded Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. As a result, Miami has entered a full-blown rebuild, and many would assume they’d be willing to listen to offers for all their current players.
Nonetheless, the Dolphins appear keen on keeping Achane, and NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio shared his true thoughts on the situation and whether he believes Miami wants to sign the running back to a contract extension.
“He’s not untradable,” Florio said on the April 17 edition of “The Joe Rose Show.” “Only a small handful of guys in the NFL right now would not be traded for any package.
“I think they received all the calls they were going to get, all the offers they were going to entertain, and they know that no one is close enough to get them to say they will part with De’Von Achane.“
De’Von Achane Gets Clear Warning Amid Contract Talks
Moreover, Florio said that if Achane is showing up for voluntary workouts, he needs to be careful, given that any injury could result in financial losses as part of contract talks with the Dolphins.
“So now the challenge becomes working out a deal,“ Florio added. “ESPN reported he showed up for the voluntary workouts in what is believed to be a sign of good faith toward trying to work this out. I think De’Von Achane should be very careful about what he does in the building because you have no long-term security. You have no financial security beyond this season.
“If you should suffer some sort of freak injury that takes you out for multiple seasons or puts a limit on what your career could be, people do not want to reside in their fears, but it is still smart to be careful about your body at a time when you do not have a contract beyond this year. They just need to work it out. If they are not going to trade him, they need to work it out.”
Dolphins GM Shares Stance on De’Von Achane
On April 15, Sullivan was asked about Achane’s availability ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft and shut down any talk of a trade, while also providing an update on ongoing extension discussions.
“He’s not available for trade,“ Sullivan said (h/t Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN). “Things are going good — we’ve had some positive conversations over the past couple days, trending in the right direction. He’s obviously very important to what we’re doing … We’ll get to where we need to be, one way or another.”
As for how much Achane could command in these contract talks, Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly shared the latest regarding Achane’s future in South Florida.
“Buffalo’s James Cook, a tailback that’s comparable to Achane in style and production, received the most recent lucrative extension for a tailback, landing a five-year deal that’s slated to pay him $51.6 million, and featured $30 million in guaranteed money,“ Kelly wrote in his April 12 column.
“Achane likely won’t accept a dollar less, with the goal of becoming the 12th tailback who makes at least $11 million a season.”
Dolphins Get Insider’s True Thoughts on De’Von Achane Rumors