NFL
By: Edwin Duodu
Every year, there are always cases in the NFL where a player doesn’t feel valued enough by his team. This prompts him to secure the best deal possible, knowing how quickly it is to get injured in this brutal sport. The Miami Dolphins are currently navigating a situation with their All-Pro cornerback, Xavien Howard. Howard recently requested a trade on social media, discussing his displeasure with the team on disagreeing on a renegotiation. To make matters worse, his trade request comes hours before the start of training camp. There is no doubt that Howard has proven to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL at this point of his career, but is he worth more money?
Since 2018, Howard has been nothing less than a ballhawk, intercepting the opposition 18 times. No one has more than Howard in that timespan. He had his best season in a Dolphins uniform during 2020, where he notched ten interceptions and 20 passes defended. Judging by his resume, it would seem that he is deserving of more money, being that the Dolphins task him with following the opposition’s best receiver every game. However, last season was his first time playing a full 16 games since 2017. Miami is justified in hesitating to offer Howard more money because of his extensive injury history.
He played in only seven games his rookie season. Before that occurred, he missed his first training camp session as an NFL player. He missed the last four games of the 2018 season, which was considered somewhat of a playoff push. At these moments, you want your best players out there. Howard also played in only five games in the 2019 season. We can’t forget to mention his off-the-field issues, including getting arrested for a domestic battery charge in December. Thankfully they were dropped, but it still isn’t a good representation of the team. [pickup_prop id=”9663″]
Speaking of representation, yes, he insisted on breaking the news on social media that he wants a trade and has also taken a shot at teammates while doing so.
“Yet, I’m the second-highest-paid cornerback on my own team, and it’s not even close,” Howard said in an Instagram post.
Taking shots at Byron Jones isn’t conducive to maintaining a professional environment in the locker room, even if he isn’t on the level of Howard. By the way, Jones has proven to be durable throughout his career, missing only three games in five seasons. Sometimes the best productivity is availability. After evaluating these problems, is Howard really worth being the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL? I wouldn’t say so, and the Dolphins apparently aren’t sold either.
If a trade does eventually happen, it’ll open up a massive hole for a team that’s ready to compete now. However, investing their future in an All-Pro caliber cornerback who has had injury problems in the past and hasn’t been consistently professional isn’t ideal. Players are sometimes undervalued in this league, but his unfortunate injuries and actions might justify the organization in their mindset in this case.
