Former Dolphins‘ safety Jevon Holland figured from the beginning that his team would make him the sacrificial lamb. Holland’s four-year contract with the team expired this offseason, and the team decided not to offer the 25-year-old any extension. “If I do go to another place… It’s nerve-wracking. Like, am I gonna choose the wrong one? But I just gotta trust myself,” shared Jevon back in February.

Flipping pages to March, Holland found a home with the Giants, signing a three-year contract worth $45.3 million. Now, that’s quite a win-win situation for the former Dolphins player. Interestingly, it plays a massive role in the Dolphins’ compensatory pick situation as well. How?

Here is the entire situation: As most of you know, teams who lose more receive extra picks for (or better) free agents than they sign during the offseason. In Mike McDaniel‘s team’s case, Jevon Holland left Miami in free agency and then signed a three-year deal with the NY Giants. 

The Dolphins also signed some free agents, which could have canceled the compensatory pick they would have received for Holland. But none of the signings are equal to Jevon. Meaning: Miami lost more qualifying free agents than they signed. So, because of this reason, Holland’s departure officially counts toward a compensatory pick in the 4th round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Interestingly, that’s not all for Miami. There’s more to the story.

Calais Campbell enters the chat and then leaves

Another key factor in the Dolphins’ compensatory pick situation is Calais Campbell. The veteran lineman joined Miami last year, on a one-year contract worth $2 million as a free agent. If Campbell had stayed in Miami for another season, his signing could have affected the compensatory formula. Therefore, it possibly reduces the Dolphins’ chances of getting a pick for Holland.

But Campbell decided to leave, helping the equation work in Miami’s favor.

Since compensatory picks are awarded based on the net loss of free agents, his exit further ensured that the Dolphins would qualify for that 4th-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for losing Jevon Holland.

Originally drafted by the Cardinals in 2008, Calais Campbell has graced the gridiron with four teams over his 16-year career. Now, the 38-year-old returns to Arizona. The Cardinals signed Campbell to a one-year, $5.5M deal.

The DE returns to Arizona after eight long years. On Monday, after they announced the deal, the veteran DE took to his IG to share the news. Posting a throwback picture of him from his Cardinals days, he captioned, “What a story it would be! Started my career with a bang. Now it’s time to finish it with a bang back home where it first began!“

It looks like this might be the last season Calais will play.