The Miami Dolphins have cleared some air at the salary cap: through restructuring and a layoff, the Dolphins save almost 60 million dollars. Which puts them well into the black on cap space.

Restructured contracts are booming these days.

It’s general managers’ little magic tricks that free up more cap space by adding a few (legal) tweaks to a player’s contract. That’s because by the start of the new league year on 15 March, the 32 teams must be under the salary cap – the salary ceiling for each team. The limit is $224.8 million in 2023.

On Friday, the Miami Dolphins made a big splash in the process. Or rather, general manager Chris Grier did.

As ESPN reports, for example, the contract with superstar Tyreek Hill was restructured. This saves the Dolphins a whopping $18 million against the cap.

Tyreek Hill: Legal pinch makes $18 million

The magic trick: Hill’s ten-million-dollar roster bonus and $16 million salary were converted into a $24.835 million bonus and $1.165 million salary. Hill had been traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Dolphins before last season and signed a four-year contract that pays the receiver $120 million.

That’s not all, however, as Grier has been busy.

Offensive tackle Terron Armstead’s contract was also restructured, earning the Dolphins around twelve million dollars in cap space. A previously rumored release of Byron Jones for the new league year will save the Dolphins another $13.6 million, but they won’t be able to use it until June 1.

It was announced earlier on Thursday that Bradley Chubb’s labor contract was also given new terms. Cap space profit: $14.6 million.

More Miami Dolphins moves?

Makes bottom line around $58 million (with Jones) that the Dolphins have freed up. According to “Spotrac”, this means Miami has given itself a current plus of $50 million due to the shifts. As the Miami Herald reports, however, this is not necessarily the end of the story. The paper calculates that further restructuring could bring in another 20 million dollars in cap space.

For Grier, it remains busy days. Because restructured contracts are still booming.