The Miami Dolphins are preparing to return to the field for the 2025 season, and when they do, they will look to put together a bounce-back campaign after enduring an uneven 2024 campaign. While the team has dealt with its fair share of drama during the offseason, there’s reason to believe that they can reemerge as a wild-card contender once again.
Unfortunately, there’s still some unresolved drama surrounding the Dolphins as training camp approaches for the upcoming campaign. That’s because the team’s second-round draft pick, offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, has still not signed his rookie contract, and one team insider believes they know why that’s the case.
Why Has Jonah Savaiinaea Not Signed Rookie Contract with Dolphins?
The Dolphins made a big move up the board in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Arizona Wildcats guard Jonah Savaiinaea with the No. 37 overall pick. Considering how they didn’t make another pick until the fifth round, it’s clear the front office and coaching staff felt strongly about doing what they could to bring Savaiinaea to town.
It’s not hard to see why Miami wanted to draft Savaiinaea. A three-year starter with Arizona, Savaiinaea played at right guard and both tackle spots during his time in college. No matter where he was, though, he held his own, earning honorable All-Conference honors in each of his three seasons.
While Savaiinaea played exclusively at tackle in 2024, he profiles as a guard in the NFL, with the Dolphins selecting him in hopes that he could be a plug-and-play starter for them come Week 1. He can’t do that without a contract, though, which is an issue, as Miami has not made much progress towards getting a deal done with him. According to Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald, Savaiinaea may be holding out in hopes of receiving more guaranteed money in his contract.
“First-round picks are typically the only players in the NFL who have their entire contracts fully guaranteed at the initial signing. That has been the case since 2011 when the Collective Bargaining Agreement changed, and subsequently drastically reduced the rookie salary scale,” Kelly wrote when explaining Savaiinaea’s situation.
“However, two of the 32 second-round picks had their entire rookie deals guaranteed this year, and agents around the league (and the NFLPA if they smarten up) intend to create a domino effect that possibly changes how the NFL does business.”
Dolphins Hoping to Sign Jonah Savaiinaea Before Training Camp
Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesFormer University of Arizona guard and Miami Dolphins second-round draft pick Jonah Savaiinaea remains unsigned.
The Dolphins aren’t alone when it comes to facing this dilemma, as 30 of the 32 second-round picks from the 2025 draft have not signed their rookie contracts. When it comes to Miami, though, they would like to have Savaiinaea in attendance for the start of training camp because he could end up being a Week 1 starter for them.
At some point, a deal will be hammered out, but the longer it takes, the more detrimental it will be to Savaiinaea’s development. With training camp drawing near, it will be worth keeping tabs on this situation to see if the Dolphins can find common ground with Savaiinaea when it comes to his contract.
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