Paul Soliai
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Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Paul Soliai is going to be a very rich man in 2012. Well, he is already rich, but he's about to get even richer.
Soliai earned a fully guaranteed $12.38 million in 2011 and is going to be a free agent hitting the market in 2012 looking for a long-term deal and will probably get it. That's what happens when you are considered to be one of the best in the NFL.
The Dolphins used the franchise tag on Soliai in 2011, and it cost them dearly. Care to guess what it would cost them if they tried to apply the same tactic again in 2012? According to Armando Salguero, of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins could apply the franchise tag again, but if they did, it would bump up Soliei's salary to a staggering $14.97 million.
Soliai is going to be a very heavily pursued free agent in 2012. The offers will be attractive because he's only 27 years old and will be effective for years to come.
My prediction: Miami will want to offer him $8.5 million, but he will be able to earn more somewhere else.