The Dolphins announced on Sunday that they and cornerback Xavien Howard hammered out a reworked contract that addressed some of Howard’s about his contract measuring up to his on-field production.
Howard was looking for that kind of change all offseason and requested a trade at the start of training camp because nothing had gotten done with the team. He reported to camp in order to avoid fines, but has not been practicing due to an ankle injury.
While meeting with reporters Sunday, Howard responded to multiple questions about the situation by saying he’s happy that the deal got done.
“I was just happy about the whole situation,” Howard said. “I’m just happy to be here and compete with the team. . . . It feels great to be out here with my team, getting better. We got the deal done so it feels great to be out here.”
The revised deal includes more guaranteed money this year and incentives that can push his compensation even higher. It also includes an injury guarantee for next year’s salary that becomes a full guarantee on the first day of the new league year and assurances from the Dolphins that they’ll revisit the deal next year based on Howard’s health and play in 2021.
Howard said he’s “just worried about this year right now” and can now move forward with certainty that he’ll be spending it with the Dolphins.