Miami Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker is entering into the final year of his rookie contract in 2021 — and the Dolphins are going to be faced with a significant financial decision over the next six to nine months as it pertains to Baker and his long-term standing with the team. Baker who has steadily developed into an effective three-down linebacker as a member of the Dolphins’ defense over the last three years, enjoyed his best season to date in 2020.
And that means that the arrow (and the market) for Baker are pointing up. Miami could theoretically try to iron out a contract extension ahead of the start of the season, a move that could potentially save Miami some cap if Baker ends up having an even better season this year. Such a maneuver was how the team chose to tackle Xavien Howard, who after 2 seasons of play is now considered ‘underpaid’.
But that approach doesn’t appear to be on the table, at least at this point. Because when asked on Friday about his status long-term with the team, Baker indicated that there’s been no traction on that front just yet.
“All that stuff is going to figure itself out,” said Baker.
“I mean, we haven’t really talked about anything.“
But Baker isn’t letting a lack of proactive communication towards an extension deter him from his enthusiasm about the Dolphins’ organization. Baker expressed interest in playing wire to wire for his NFL career in Miami.
“I want to play here for the rest of my career. I love it here. I love the fans. I love the organization. I love everybody here. Yeah, I definitely see myself playing here for a long time.”
As the Dolphins look to transition from a team in a rebuild to a team who is an annual contender, they’ll need to transition their thought process for roster building. Not every player who is on the roster is going to be able to receive a contract extension; there will be financial decisions that are made. But young talents like Baker, who play a valuable 3-down role and are ascending talents, are always going to be hard to say no to for an extension. Baker’s value to the Dolphins’ defense grew in 2020 and it seems he’ll get 2021 to add an exclamation point and help sell the team on his value.
But no matter how it develops over the next six months, Baker has shown his hand. He wants to be a Dolphin. Which means the ball is now in Chris Grier’r court.