Howard hoping to land new deal

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Xavien Howard wants to be one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL.

Now, the ball is in the Miami Dolphins’ court to make it happen.

Howard, the lone Dolphins player to be select for the Pro Bowl this season, completed the third year of his four-year rookie contract and is eligible to negotiate a lucrative contract extension this offseason.

Whether that happens, however, remains to be seen.

“I hope so, but if not, I’m going to keep busting my butt and hopefully it will all pay off in the end,” Howard said Sunday, following Miami’s 42-17 loss to Buffalo to end the season.

While Howard missed the final four games of the season to nurse a meniscus injury in his left knee, his resume this season was impressive.

Howard finished tied with Chicago Bears safety Kyle Fuller for the NFL lead with seven interceptions this season.

Howard’s seven interceptions in his past 16 games are also the best mark during that stretch in the league. He’s also had five games where he had at least two interceptions.

Now, he wants to get paid. The the five highest-paid cornerbacks annually are: Redskins’ Josh Norman ($15 million), Jets’ Trumaine Johnson ($14.5), Vikings’ Xavier Rhodes and Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson ($14.1 million), and Fuller ($14 million).

If Howard enters that realm, it will be a considerable increase from the $1 million he made this season, and the $3.4 million he agreed to when he signed his four-year rookie contract in 2015.

But, the Dolphins could decide to have Howard finish his rookie deal, and earn $1.29 million in 2019.

They would also be able to franchise tag him when he becomes an unrestricted free agent following the 2019 season.

Howard said the Dolphins coaches and medical staff “were thinking long-term instead of short-term” in regards to the decision to sit him after he reportedly needed to have his knee scoped following the first game against the Bills this season on Dec. 2.

Howard says he wants to play in the Pro Bowl, but will see how his knee feels before participating in the game in Orlando on Jan. 27.