Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith becomes an unrestricted free agent next month, and he’s basing the contract he wants on two of the top contracts that cornerbacks got last year.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that Smith is looking for a five-year deal at an annual average in the $8 million to $10 million range. In other words, Smith wants to get paid somewhere in the neighborhood of what Jason McCourty got from the Titans last year (five years, $43 million) or what Brandon Carr got from the Cowboys last year (five years, $50 million).
Smith has been a solid starter in the four seasons since the Dolphins chose him in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft, but it seems unlikely that Miami is going to pay him that kind of money. Which means that if Smith is going to get the contract he wants, he’s likely done with the Dolphins.
Then again, as much as a starting cornerback is a highly coveted commodity, it seems unlikely that any other team is going to pay Smith the kind of money he wants, either.