At a time when it’s still unclear what the Dolphins will do with receiver Mike Wallace, it’s very clear what they’ll do with receiver Brian Hartline.
They’ll cut him.
According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, the Dolphins have said Hartline will be released on Friday.
Hartline was due to earn a base salary of $5.9 million this year, the third of a five-year, $30 million contract. He received $7 million to sign; $4.2 million must still be accounted for on the salary cap.
In his first season under offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, Hartline had the lowest yardage output of his career with 474, despite starting all 16 regular-season games in 2014. He surpassed 1,000 yards in 2013 and 2012.
The move gives the 28-year-old a 10-day head start on the open market. It’ll be interesting to see how much teams are willing to pay for veteran receivers, given that rookies seem to be making a bigger impact right out of the gates.