De’Von Achane is officially sending a message to the Miami Dolphins front office. As the team kicked off its voluntary offseason program on Tuesday under new head coach Jeff Hafley, the franchise’s most explosive offensive weapon was noticeably absent from the facility. The holdout highlights a looming financial standoff between a star player seeking security and a front office currently tearing down its roster.
Dolphins’ De’Von Achane Absent From Team Workouts Amid Trade Speculation
General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has spent his first few months on the job cleaning house. The Dolphins parted ways with massive contracts, moving on from Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle. Achane is essentially the last game-breaker standing from the previous era.
The 24-year-old running back has zero financial incentive to risk injury without a new deal. Achane dismantled opposing defenses last season, racking up 1,350 rushing yards and a league-best 5.7 yards per carry. He finished the 2025 campaign with 1,838 total scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns, production that severely dwarfs his scheduled $1.145 million base salary for 2026.
Hafley addressed the media after Tuesday’s session and confirmed his starting running back was the only player he knew of who skipped the workout. The first-year head coach refused to take the bait when pressed about the looming contract dispute.
“Achane was not here today… I think those are talks for another time in between [De’Von] Achane and ‘Sully’ (Jon-Eric Sullivan) and those guys. I’m not going to dive into those thoughts right now. That’s all like, honestly, that’s part of the business. It’s part of what every team goes through in those situations and they’ll work it out.”
Jon-Eric Sullivan Could Navigate the Achane Standoff
The standoff provides an immediate test for Sullivan’s rebuilding strategy. Paying top-of-the-market money to a running back clashes with modern roster construction, especially for a team not expected to contend this fall.
Yet, refusing to extend a homegrown talent who serves as the sole engine of your offense sets a bleak tone for the locker room.
Running backs possess a notoriously short window to cash in, and Achane relies heavily on his elite breakaway speed. He touched the ball over 300 times last year between carries and receptions.
He was Miami’s only Pro Bowler last season, and the Dolphins believe he is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league.
In 2025, he ranked second in PFSN’s NFL RB Impact Rankings with an Impact score of 87.1.
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“Nobody’s untouchable in this business,” Sullivan said. “Achane is a very, very, very important piece of what we’re going to do moving forward. He’s a building block for us. It is a priority for us to get a deal done with him in the coming weeks and months.”
The Dolphins have cleared significant future cap space through their roster purge, giving Sullivan plenty of financial flexibility. He has publicly called Achane a building block for the franchise’s next chapter.
