The Dolphins are getting ahead on some future contract situations, apparently, agreeing to extend defensive tackle Zach Sieler despite him having two years remaining on his original deal. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the extension is a three-year, $67.75MM deal with $44MM guaranteed. With the new deal, he becomes the highest-paid player on Miami’s defense.
Sieler’s come a long way since his humble beginnings. Unranked as a high school recruit, Sieler travelled about two hours north to attend college at Ferris State University, where he made the decision to walk on to the football team. After a redshirt year, Sieler helped the Bulldogs win their conference two years in a row in 2014 and 2015. In the latter year, he won the conference’s Defensive Lineman of the Year and National Defensive Player of the Year honors. He repeated those honors in 2016 but opted to sit out the 2017 season, after having earned his degree, to prepare for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Though obviously talented, Sieler was considered a bit of a wildcard after having spent a year away from football. Regardless, he was chosen by the Ravens with the 238th pick of the draft in the seventh round, Ozzie Newsome’s final pick as the team’s general manager. In an emotional draft day phone call, Newsome informed him of that fact and Sieler told the legendary GM, “I’ll make you proud.”
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