Emmanuel Ogbah, Dolphins Agree to 4-Year, $65M Contract Ahead of NFL Free Agency

The Miami Dolphins have a new player returning.

According to a report by Adam Schefter, the Dolphins agreed to a four-year $65 million contract with $32 million guaranteed. On social media, Ogbah appeared to be reacting to the news.

Emmanuel Ogbah @EmanOgbah

🎲🎲🙏🏾

The veteran pass-rusher played in every game for Miami in 2021. He was a disruptive presence against the pass by forcing 12 throws.

A second-round pick in the 2016 draft, Ogbah signed with the Dolphins in 2020. He has 18 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 45 quarterback hits in two seasons with the team.

His new deal shows his improvement in South Florida. His guaranteed cash will be the 13th-most in the league, and his annual salary will rank ninth.

The free-agent negotiating window only opened at noon on Monday, so Ogbah could have taken more time to gauge his value on the open market. He did not take a hometown discount to stay in Miami.

Omar Kelly @OmarKelly

$15M was a safe guess. If he got to the market he probably could have gotten $17M. With Florida’s taxes this is a good number for Ogbah.

Dolphins between a rock & a hard place because defense could have fallen apart without him. https://t.co/YfTzGHn92O

The firing of Brian Flores as head coach of the Dolphins came after they missed the playoffs in 2021. They were tied for fourth in adjusted sack rate and 10th in defensive efficiency.

The best defensive player was going to be free. It was nice to have his contract in place before the window opened.

Considering Miami had around $48 million in salary-cap space, re-signing Ogbah doesn't preclude general manager Chris Grier from taking more big swings to strengthen the roster.