Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones hilariously reacts to enduring a contract restructure due to the trade taking Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Miami Dolphins might be winning NFL free agency this year, taking the arguably best free agent on the market in former New Orleans Saints tackle Terron Armstead and trading for agile Kansas Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, all to equip quarterback Tua Tagvailoa with the necessary tools to succeed.
Even though the Dolphins were able to entice various free agents and trade acquisitions to play in Miami (which potentially includes Tom Brady, if crazy rumors are to be believed), they still needed capital to make these signings a reality. The best players require big paychecks, which meant that Miami had to restructure the contracts of one of the best cornerbacks in the league, Byron Jones.
To be clear, Jones isn’t losing out on money: the Dolphins converted $13.26 million of his 2022 base salary into a signing bonus, which clears up cap space while allowing Jones to remain paid. Still, Jones decided to have a little fun with having to make room for the new guy, jesting about how Cheetah is going to inevitably burn him in practice.
Byron Jones jokes around about Tyreek Hill burning him at practice
Of course, Jones isn’t entirely serious: as phenomenal as Tyreek Hill is, so is Byron Jones. Jones was No. 97 on the NFL 100 list in 2019, which ranks the best 100 NFL players according to active players.
Jones didn’t make the list in 2020, although some believe he should have as the best player on Miami at the time. However, he was regarded as one of the best free agent acquisitions that season, and his high salary proved it.
In 2021, Jones recorded 10 passes defended, one forced fumble, and 58 combined tackles.
For what it’s worth, Hill is looking forward to the challenge of facing Jones in practice. It could be because he welcomes the challenge, or because Hill knows he can burn him—either way, July training camp is sure to offer a fiery display of talent this year.