8:47 p.m. ET
Marcel Louis Jacques ESPN
MIAMI — The Dolphins and cornerback Xavien Howard agreed to a five-year contract, his agent David Canter announced.
The deal is valued at $50.6 million in new money, giving Howard the most guaranteed money for a cornerback in NFL history.
Howard had three years and $39 million left on the five-year, $75 million deal he signed in 2020 but was unhappy with the deal going into the 2021 season. The 2016 second-round pick requested a swap in July, saying he doesn’t feel “appreciated or respected” by the organization that called him up.
His request came during an offseason in which Miami cornerback Byron Jones was signed to a five-year, $82.5 million contract, making Howard the second highest-paid cornerback on his own team.
To address his concerns, the Dolphins had slightly restructured Howard’s contract following his trade request, including lifting his fines for skipping mandatory mini-camp and promising to renegotiate his contract after the 2021 season.
“Xavien has done a lot of good for this organization here,” Dolphins GM Chris Grier said at the NFL’s annual meeting last week. “I’ve known him for years. I was there when we drafted him. He was my second draft pick here. I’m looking forward to him being here and helping us win.”
Howard intercepted five passes in 2021 and forced two fumbles, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Since joining the league in 2016, no other player has had more interceptions than Howard’s 27.