Yes, the Dolphins aren’t actively pursuing the chunk of Dion Jordan’s signing bonus that represents advance compensation for the 2015 season. But it doesn’t mean they won’t.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Dolphins haven’t made any decisions on Jordan’s financial situation yet.
As it relates to the signing bonus, there apparently are no decisions to make. Article 4, Section 9(k) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement makes mandatory the pursuit of signing bonus money when a player is suspended under the substance-abuse policy. Two years ago, Broncos linebacker Von Miller escaped that requirement because his suspension was the result of a negotiation, not the normal operation of the policy.
Unless Jordan’s minimum one-year suspension was negotiated (and by all appearances it wasn’t), the Dolphins will have no choice but to seek the money — and Jordan will have no choice but to pay it back.
He would owe one-fourth of the $13.34 million signing bonus received on a four-year deal as the third overall pick in the 2013 draft. That equates to $3.335 million.