INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 25 (UPI) — The Miami Dolphins are operating this off-season as if star offensive tackle Terron Armstead will retire, coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine.
“We’ve been in direct communication with Terron as recently as last week,” McDaniel said at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. “On thing that Terron understands is, from an organizational perspective, we have to operate in some way shape or form.
“With Terron, reflecting his ability and all that, he’s not totally ready to make that decision. As a result, I think we have to operate as though he won’t play, just because you have to prepare for things that you can’t control.
But, I think he’s going to take his time with his family and loved ones and make that decision, because it’s not an easy one. We will be operating as though we are moving on in that way, simply for the execution of free agency and the draft.”
Armstead, 33, signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the Dolphins in 2022, but later restructured that pact. He is due a non-guaranteed $13.3 million base salary in 2025 and is under contract through 2026.
Armstead started 15 games last season. The five-time Pro Bowl selection missed seven games in 2023 and four games in 2022 because of injuries.
Offensive tackle Patrick Paul, a second-round pick by the Dolphins in the 2024 NFL Draft, was active for 17 games, including three starts last season. He is among several players who could see increased action if Armstead retires. Austin Jackson is penciled in as the Dolphins’ other starting tackle next season.
