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Dolphins do Trusnik extension, in great 2013 cap situation

It's not about this year anymore, as you know. It's about next year, and particularly next offseason for the Dolphins. And the team has been preparing for that mega-offseason in which it will have five picks in the first 100 picks of the NFL draft and approximately $46,840,000 million in salary cap space, assuming certain things happen.

First of all, the club has done only one contract extension this season. Jason Trusnik last month quietly signed a two-year extension on his original two year deal signed in 2011. That means Trusnik is signed through 2014 now. The extension is worth $2.17 million. It included a $600,000 bonus with base salaries of $715,000 in 2013 and $855,000 in 2014. Trusnik is making $700,000 this season.

It is the only contract extension the Dolphins did during this season. And it adds Trusnik to the list of players under contract to the team in 2013. Those players represent $75,060,751 in salary cap space already taken up for 2013.

Now, the salary cap has been estimated by various sources, including NFL.com, to come in at approximately $121 million for 2013.

So how much cap space will the Dolphins have?

Well, you have to add approximately $1.6 million in dead money to the Dolphins total to bring it to $76,660,751. That tells you the Dolphins will have $44,340,000 for next year.

But there are other machinations.

The club will sign perhaps 7-9 players to future contracts within days after the season. That will take up approximately $2.5-$3.3 million of space. So we're down to around $41,840,000 of available cap space for 2013. The team also has approximately $5 in unused cap space from this year. It can elect to carry over that cap space and use it next year (as most teams do) or not.

If the Dolphins carry over their space -- and I stress that most teams do -- they'd be at approximately $46,840,000 in available salary cap space for next season -- give or take $1 million. Use that as the working figure for available cap space in 2013 as the Dolphins enter free agency.

Free agency, you must remember, will include the 15 or so players Miami has unsigned.

Here is the team breakdown:

Player Name

Position

Team

Cap value

Davone Bess

WR

MD

$3,433,334

Armon Binns

WR

MD

$480,000.

Kevin Burnett

LB

MD

$5,700,000

Dan Carpenter

P/K

MD

$3,012,500

Nolan Carroll

CB

MD

$622,939

Charles Clay

RB

MD

$583,000

Karlos Dansby

LB

MD

$8,575,0.00

John Denney

OL

MD

$1,013,750

Michael Egnew

TE

MD

$652,239

Brandon Fields

P/K

MD

$1,720,000

Jonathan Freeny

LB

MD

$480,000

Jonas Gray

RB

MD

$481,500

Richie Incognito

OL

MD

$5,383,334

John Jerry

OL

MD

$789,625

Reshad Jones

S

MD

$615,075

Josh Kaddu

LB

MD

$480,000

Jovorskie Lane

RB

MD

$480.000

Richard Marshall

CB

MD

$5,766,666

Jonathan Martin

OL

MD

$1,087,3330

Rishard Matthews

WR

MD

$492,848

Kelcie McCray

S

MD

$406,500

Kyle Miller

TE

MD

$480,000

Lamar Miller

RB

MD

$601,500

Koa Misi

LB

MD

$1,131,905

Jared Odrick

DE

MD

$1,939,868

Dimitri Patterson

CB

MD

$4,600,000

Julian Posey

CB

MD

$480,000

Mike Pouncey

OL

MD

$2,525,371

Kheeston Randall

DT

MD

$495,612

Josh Samuda

OL

MD

$481,500

Derrick Shelby

DE

MD

$481,500

Paul Soliai

DT

MD

$7,875,000

Ryan Tannehill

QB

MD

$2,879,205

Marcus Thigpen

RB

MD

$482,500

Daniel Thomas

RB

MD

$882,652

Jason Trusnik

LB

MD

$915.000

Olivier Vernon

DE

MD

$669,520

Cameron Wake

DE

MD

$5,015,000

Jimmy Wilson

CB

MD

$566,475

Will Yeatman

OL

MD

$555,000

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