Miami Dolphins fans usually don’t have to worry about how their team will shoehorn all these high-dollar salaries onto the same roster.
The same goes for owner Steve Ross, general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel.
That’s because the Dolphins have Brandon Shore, the 38-year-old rising young star and senior vice president of football and business administration.
Salary cap-wise, Shore somehow squeezed a size 12 foot into a size 10 shoe last season.
He’s done it again so far this year, getting the Dolphins from more than $50 million over the $255.4 million salary cap to being in compliance by the March deadline.
Shore, the Broward County native who serves as the Dolphins’ lead contract negotiator and the person who manages the salary cap, needs similar financial gymnastics for the rest of this offseason and next offseason to keep the Dolphins in Super Bowl contention.
I’m optimistic.
Those who keep up with such roles will acknowledge one of the best salary cap guys in pro sports is Andy Ellisburg of the Miami Heat.
Shore, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Elon (N.C.) University and graduated from the University of Miami Law School, seems to be on that trajectory.
Two years ago, Shore made the “NFL 40 under 40” list, published by The Athletic, that honors top young executives and coaches. The publication consulted agents and league executives (McDaniel, it should be noted, also made the list).
Shore has a bright future.
It’ll be interesting to see how much Shore can accomplish on his current mammoth To-Do list.
Soon, Shore will have to wrestle with ways to keep edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, the two 2021 first-round picks who will be seeking contract extensions, and safety Jevon Holland, the 2021 second-round pick, in Miami uniforms for 2025 and beyond.
Oh, and there’s also that pesky Tua Tagovailoa contract extension that could come this year or next year.
Aside from those, we’ll see if Shore can find some financial room for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who reportedly likes the Dolphins but wants more money.
Shore maintained the financial flexibility for the Dolphins to trade for wide receiver Tyreek Hill when he unexpectedly became available in 2022, sign free agent left tackle Terron Armstead in 2022, and trade for edge rusher Bradley Chubb at the trade deadline in 2022. Shore was instrumental in the trade to acquire cornerback Jalen Ramsey in 2023.
When the Dolphins restructure contracts to gain financial space, after Grier goes to the player, it’s Shore, working with Grier, who goes to the player’s agent.
And while Grier has the final say on the deals, Shore does the back-and-forth negotiating.
Shore, of course, isn’t perfect.
Some point to the free-agent departures of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins or right guard Rob Hunt.
The Dolphins couldn’t afford either, and as a result, they lost two high-quality homegrown talents.
Linebacker Jerome Baker, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and cornerback Xavien Howard, more key homegrown talent, also walked out the door this offseason.
It’s hard to pin any of those directly on Shore, but he’s in charge of money management so some think it’s fair.
Nevertheless, let me be crystal clear on this point: among the trio of Grier, McDaniel and Shore, it’s Shore who has done the best job, by far.
It’s not even close.
I don’t mean that to belittle Grier or McDaniel, who I think have both done well loading the roster with talent and getting the Dolphins to the playoffs.
Rather I’m highlighting Shore, who has done amazingly well overall, and by comparison.
In a way, Shore, who has served in his current role since 2021, is living a lifelong dream.
He’s a native of Parkland and attended high school at nearby Pine Crest.
He’s been a Dolphins fan his entire life (and a Miami Heat fan).
Now, he works for the Dolphins in a million capacities.
He oversees the Dolphins’ team and training facility operations, video, football analytics (you know McDaniel loves analytics!), equipment, athletic training and team security.
He leads operations for the South Florida Sod Farm, which handles the grass surface at Hard Rock Stadium and the Baptist Health practice facility.
Oh, and Shore also makes sure the Dolphins are in compliance with the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, and he serves as the Dolphins’ liaison on labor relations and league matters.
The guy does it all.
But this is mostly about the money.
Shore’s office is two doors away from Grier’s. They’ve probably worn a path between each other’s office.
As part of his job, Shore regularly updates Miami’s upper-management team on the Dolphins’ status relative to the salary cap, what moves they can make, and the financial ramifications of each move.
Shore also studies players so that when Grier says he wants a guy, Shore doesn’t have to do extensive research. Apparently he believes in the “if you stay in shape, you never have to get in shape” school of logic.
The Dolphins are trying to take the shortcut to the title, following the leads of Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams.
Miami is trying to blend a mixture of a quarterback on a rookie contract (actually a fifth-year option), talented youngsters, and 28- to 30-year-old veterans, some of them superstars, to get a Lombardi Trophy.
Shore is doing his part.
There’s one other thing you should know about Shore.
He keeps a database of every team’s position relative to the salary cap so he can know how high the Dolphins have to jump when they’re competing for a player with another team or teams.
Shore is why Grier remarked in January, “We’re not really, right now, concerned about where we’ll be in March, salary-cap wise.”
That’ll probably be the case next year, too.